


Infatuation Inc.

by Justme_herand_themoon



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Awkward Tension, Drinking, Escort Service, F/M, Light Angst, Mentions of Violence, Rich bastards, Smut, cat daddy, kinda ???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2018-10-13 01:23:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10503525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justme_herand_themoon/pseuds/Justme_herand_themoon
Summary: ‘’So, what’s your name?’’You took a long drag on your cigarette, and breathed out the smoke slowly, creating white dancing silhouettes in the night sky in front of you.‘’Ruby’’Mr. Han stepped out on the balcony and leaned his back against the cold, brick wall, letting his stare wander from the top of your head, as you tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, to your black heels that fit perfectly with the rest of your dark and somewhat mysterious ensemble. He made sure to take all of you in. You really were worth the money.





	1. First introductions

**Author's Note:**

> I have at least five more chapters planned for this, whether people read it or not lololol
> 
> Feedback is highly appreciated ^^

‘’ _ Diamond Girl Companionship’’  _ was the words written in elegant gold cursive at the top of the black business card you held in between your fingers; it’s sleek and simple design only contributing to the fact that the company was a big and expensive one of the kind.  _ And a highly exclusive one at that.  _ Needless to say, if your ass wasn’t loaded and your name not attached to a company or brand, DGC would not be the service for you. 

 

The service provided was quite simply company; a person to fill out your space after those stressful work hours, and someone to socialize with without wasting useful time on getting to know them or having to maintain contact afterwards. Being rich and successful rarely meant having many to talk to about non work related stuff, and that’s why DGC was created.

 

Every girl's identity was highly protected, and they were under no circumstance forced to put up with everything their clients put them through. Sex, drugs and abuse form either side was intolerable, but because of the statuses of their clients and the professionalism of the employee's, stuff like that rarely happened. If the employees were caught in doing so anyway, you could rest assured that only the shadows would find out. 

 

Upon hiring the service you could choose which kind of person would best suit your needs; Emerald for the cultured kind, Pearl for those yearning after the ‘’girl next door’’, Crystal for the adventurous souls,  _ and then there was you.  _

 

_ _________________________________________ _

 

you tapped your dark, perfectly painted nails on the business card impatiently, waiting for the elevator to reach the top floor. 

 

_ ‘why do the rich always have to live so high above everyone else? Is this guy trying to compensate for something or what’ _

__

The thought made you smirk as you took a good look at yourself in the conveniently placed mirror, making sure you looked respectable for your client. Although you were still new at the job, you had found yourself to be requested more frequently. You didn’t know whether you were happy or not that rich, old pigs enjoyed your company, but it paid well and it wasn’t exactly a difficult or dirty job. 

__

Getting a job in a firm like DGC was no easy feat, and many girls dreamed of working in a business that exclusive. All you had to do though, was mention who your parents were, and you were told that everything was already taken care of.  _ Easiest job interview ever.  _

__

You stopped fiddling with the card and put it in your bag, taking out your phone instead, making sure you had all the details in place.

__

‘’So,  _ Mr. Han,  _ I hope you’re ready for the, -’’

__

You squinted at your screen, ‘ _ damn these dry ass contact lenses’ _

__

‘’- three hours we’re spending together’’

__

You found the amount of time he had hired you odd; normally clients hired you for an entire evening, to avoid eating their five star meals by themselves, or to wallow in their wine drinking sadness alone.  _ Maybe this guy just didn’t have the necessary amount of money? _

__

Normal procedure for a customer when hiring from DGC was to leave a few details of prefered conversation subjects, likes and dislikes, stuff like that to make sure you could thoroughly entertain them, but this man had left nothing but his name for you to go on. 

__

‘ _ Strange’ _

__

It wasn’t like you were completely oblivious to who he was though. You had seen his name been tossed around in various tabloids and magazines for the rich and powerful, but you never read them,  _ they disgusted you.  _

__

_ ________________________________________ _

 

The elevator stopped with a loud ‘’Ding!’’ and opened up to reveal a huge penthouse apartment. You politely nodded at the worker who had escorted you and stepped inside. It turned out you had been mistaken, this guy was  _ definitely  _ rich enough to hire you for the entire week if he so desired.

__

The entire place nearly shined due to the white floors and walls being illuminated by the pale moonlight outside; clearly visible because of the large windows covering almost every inch of the walls on your left side. 

__

Nestled in the corner was a huge, round bed with a pillar functioning as a fishtank, full of exotic fish, by its side. A large TV hung above it, even though there was an even larger one just 3 feet away in the seating area. You nearly tripped over the round carpet located beneath the leather couch, which was seemingly the only thing separating the living room from the bedroom. The entire place was simply yet elegantly decorated, with no form of personal items in sight and plants being the only indication of life. Some magazines were neatly placed on the coffee table, but you had a feeling that they had never actually been opened; You half expected to see a bowl of plastic fruit too.

__

To your right was a large opening, leading into a room you couldn’t make out at your distance and in front of you, past the living space, was a long hallway with multiple solid, wooden doors on either side.  _ You had been in many extraordinary penthouses before, but this one felt different to you somehow. _

__

You took a step further, studying the place as the elevator doors closed behind you. You looked at the watch on your wrist and set the alarm to ring in three hours. You didn’t intend to stay a minute longer, already longing for the comfort of your own home and a pair of sweatpants. 

__

‘’Ah, you must be the girl from DGC’’

__

A deep voice interrupted your thoughts and had you nearly jump in place out of surprise. You looked around for the source of the voice and found that a man had just stepped out of one of the many doors in the hallway, and was now heading towards you. He was adjusting the cuffs on his navy suit and didn’t even bother to look up at you.

__

You cleared your throat and put out your hand to greet him with what little manner you had. This guy didn’t look like anything you had expected. He was, in fact, not a dirty old pig, but a man that looked to be in his mid to late twenties, with black perfectly styled hair and stern dark eyes.  _ Some might even have called him handsome, but you refused to let yourself go that far just yet. _

__

_ ‘’ _ Yes, the doorman let me in. I just showed him my business card, so..’’

__

When he finally turned his attention to you, he narrowed his eyes and cocked his head a little to the side, looking slightly like someone who either wasn’t happy with what he saw, or didn’t quite understand it.  

__

‘’Well then, let me take your coat’’

__

When he hadn’t taken your hand you pulled it back and let out a frustrated sigh, as silently as you could, while shrugging off your jacket and handing it to him. 

__

‘ _ I should’ve known he was going to be a pretentious asshole’ _

__

While he went to put your jacket somewhere else, you started rummaging through your bag to look for your lighter, whispering silent prayers under your breath hoping you hadn’t forgotten it. You found it with a triumphant ‘’Aha!’’ the same time as he returned.

__

‘’If you don’t mind, It was a long drive here, and I  _ desperately _ crave a smoke’’

__

You pointed towards the balcony nestled between the many windows behind you, and took a small step backwards; your feet subconsciously moving towards freedom and much needed stress relief. 

__

‘’Suit yourself’’

__

‘ _ A man of few words, huh’ _

__

You turned around and walked out on the balcony, shivering as the cool air hit your body. You pulled out the pack of cigarettes you always carried in your bra and took one out before tugging the pack back in, making sure it was concealed properly. Behind you, you heard Mr. Han leaning against the doorframe to observe you.

__

‘’I could think of better and more comfortable places to stash those’’

__

You lit your cigarette and took a quick puff before answering. 

__

‘’I like to always have them on my person. As long as I’m wearing a bra, you better believe I’m going to be storing my cigarettes in it too’’

__

Your response might have seemed funny if it hadn’t been for your unnecessarily cold tone, followed by a long silence. You enjoyed being able to stand in peace with only the distant sounds of night traffic reaching your ears. That was until he decided to speak.

__

‘’So, what’s your name?’’

__

You took a long drag of your cigarette, and breathed out the smoke slowly, creating white dancing silhouettes in the night sky in front of you.

__

‘’Ruby’’

__

Mr. Han stepped out on the balcony and leaned his back against the cold, brick wall, letting his stare wander from the top of your head, as you tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, to your black heels that fit perfectly with the rest of your dark and somewhat mysterious ensemble. He made sure to take all of you in.  _ You really were worth the money. _

__

‘’That’s not what I asked. What’s your name?’’

__

Still with your back to him, you turned your head ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of his expression. Even before turning, you could feel his stare cutting you like daggers, but you didn’t mind; you were used to being stared at, being beautiful was a big part of your job after all.

__

‘’I heard what you asked me, and I answered. I didn’t know being rich came with the side effect of being deaf’’

__

You put out your cigarette on the balcony railing and finally turned around to face him. You looked at him with a playful smile, obviously trying to provoke him. He pinched the bridge of his nose while letting out a soft groan.

__

‘’They just  _ had  _ to send the sarcastic one, didn’t they’’

__

You walked closer to him with slow and teasing steps, biting your lip slightly. You were here because you had a job to do and you intended to do it.  _ By the end of the night, you were going to make sure he had been thoroughly entertained.  _ You walked past him while letting your hand drag across his chest, feeling his warmth on your palm.

__

‘’If you have a problem with that, pretty boy, then it’s not too late to call and get someone else - Em perhaps? She seems like your type’’

__

You stepped back into the penthouse without waiting for his answer. You knew he wanted you to stay, you could feel it in the way he looked at you. He wasn’t the only one; men tended to secretly enjoy your snappy attitude, because it made them feel they needed to ‘’teach you a lesson’’ and that somehow appealed to them. This man most likely felt the same way. Just a lonely rich man seeking a beautiful lady to keep them company, only to forget her a few hours later when it was time to go to work again.

__

Every time you were hired by guys like Mr. Han, you couldn’t help but think that if they could bring their work home, spend their evening with that, and somehow feel less lonely, then you would be put out of work. The thought made you laugh every time, and this time it was no exception. 

__

You walked over to your bag, which you had thrown on the couch, to put back your lighter, but as soon as you had discarded it a strong hand gripped your wrist and turned you around. You tilted your head backwards to look up at him, realizing just how much taller he was than you, even with your heels on. You were standing so close, you were afraid that he could hear your heart beginning to beat faster.  _ ‘Calm down, you’ve done this a million times, you’re not obligated to have sex with him, and if he tries anything you’re free to leave’ _

__

‘’It sounds almost as if you want me to call for someone else, -’’

__

He leaned in even closer, so your faces were mere inches apart. ‘ _ God, how is that even possible, if he get’s even closer we’ll merge into one person.’ _ You could feel his hot breath on your skin; he smelled like wine and an expensive cologne,  _ because of course he did. _

__

‘’- are you not comfortable in my presence?’’

__

You blinked in panic a few times. You had gotten lost in the moment and in his scent without realizing it, but when you finally returned to earth you were very quick to put your hands on his chest and gently push him away from you while laughing.  _ A laugh that came out way more nervous than you intended.  _ You crossed your arms and desperately tried to avert his gaze.

__

‘’It’s not my job to  _ be  _ comfortable, Mr. Han, it’s my job to make  _ you  _ comfortable’’

__

Why was this man making you so nervous? It wasn't like he was some creep trying to put his moves on you or overstep your business agreement,  _ at least not yet,  _ so what was it? You didn’t get to finish the thought before he yet again had stepped closer to you, this time at a reasonable distance. He lifted his hand to loosen his tie and your eyes studied the movement of his hands as you swallowed a lump in your throat.  _ That tie had probably cost more than your entire outfit combined. _

__

‘’Please, call me Jumin, no need to be so formal’’

__

He flashed you a friendly smile. You couldn’t tell if it was genuine or if he was simply sensing how nervous you were and was trying to calm you down. When you finally spoke, your voice came out more fragile than anticipated.

__

‘’I-If you didn’t want this to be formal then you probably shouldn’t have worn a suit, Mr. H- ‘’

__

He lifted an eyebrow at you.

__

‘’- Jumin’’

__

You hated how he was already manipulating you so easily; your bitchy attitude had been dropped somewhere out on the balcony, and you desperately wanted to run out there and retrieve it.

__

‘’Good girl,-’’

__

He snaked an arm around your waist, but before you could get the chance to push him away or ask him what the hell he was doing, he was gently pushing you in the direction of the kitchen. ‘ _ Did he really just call me that,-’  _ you thought to yourself, ‘- _ and am I not even gonna pick on him for it?’ _

__

‘’-now that you’ve learned what to call me, I think it’s only fair for me to learn what to call you’’ 

__

His touch on your hip was gentle, as if he was barely even touching you.  _ Was he really not trying to do anything _ ? The thought made you relax into his touch, which 

Jumin apparently took as a sign to tighten his grip. 

__

‘’Jumin, it’s against my contract to reveal my actual name, -’’

__

You had finally reached the kitchen, _after_ _a walk that had seemed endless,_ so he let go of you and gestured towards a bar chair, silently telling you to sit down.

__

‘’- so to you, my name is Ruby’’

__

You sat down, making sure your skin tight dress didn’t wander too far up your thighs, and crossed your legs while studying your company for the evening pick out a bottle of wine. With his back turned to you, you finally got a chance to properly study his strong frame.  _ You could definitely tell why he was described as the business world's most eligible bachelor quite often in various magazines.  _ His deep voice interrupted your thoughts and you had to subtly shake your head to get back to reality.

__

‘’You a wine drinker…  _ Ruby?’’ _

__

The way he dragged out your name made it very clear that he was nowhere near satisfied with you telling him to call you that. You had no idea why he was so fixated on knowing your name, mostly men preferred keeping your identity a secret; It made it less personal and easier to forget you, and that was the way you preferred it too. It was also the main reason you always dressed yourself in the dark and sensual way you did; it made you feel like a  _ mistress  _ as opposed to a  _ lover. _

__

‘’I mostly just drink whatever is served’’

__

Trying to regain some of your usual attitude, you put on the most playful voice you could muster and leaned in over the counter, while resting your head in your hand. 

__

‘’I’ll be a wine girl if you want me to be, pretty boy’’

__

At that he laughed for the first time that night,  _ not the reaction you had hoped for,  _ but even if it wasn’t a full blown laugh you had a feeling that it wasn’t something he did all too often, which put a tiny, genuine smile on your face. You heard the sound of him opening a wine bottle and pouring it into two glasses.

__

‘’That’s the second time you’ve called me that, am I really that pretty to you?’’

__

This time it was his turn to be playful, and the tables were turned yet again. You sank into your seat with a disappointed sigh that you deeply wished he didn’t hear.  _ You were determined to reclaim control of the situation, you refused to let him have the upper hand. _

__

‘’Well, -’’

__

He turned around and handed you a glass before taking a sip of his own and walked around the counter to stand in front of you. You suddenly felt very small, having that tower of a man standing before you and looking down. You subconsciously starting running your finger along the top of your glass while licking your lips, that had become surprisingly dry, while trying not to smudge your dark red lipstick in the process.

__

‘’- you’re certainly not ugly, but next to me even a solid 10 turns into a 5’’

__

Jumin took an excruciatingly long sip of his wine while humming into the glass as if he was deeply thinking about what you said. You watched his adam's apple move up and down as he swallowed;  _ you had definitely lied, this man was a definite 100 out of 10. _

__

After what seemed like an eternity, he put down his glass and placed his finger beneath your chin to lift up your face to catch your gaze. His voice was deep and husky, but his eyes were deadly serious, which would have made you whimper if you hadn’t stopped yourself.

__

‘’...are you sure about that?’’

__

‘ _ Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck’ _

__

‘’Well, maybe a 7 if  _ you  _ really dress up and  _ I  _ dress down’’

__

How you mustered to answer him like that, even in the position you were in, was beyond you, but it gave you the courage to continue. You placed your glass on the counter next to his and grabbed his wrist to move his hand from your face. Then you got up, making sure to rest your hand on his chest to ‘’keep your balance’’, and walked past him, towards the open bottle of wine. His eyes followed you intensely, as a lion watching its prey. 

__

‘’Eyes up here Mr. Han, weren’t you taught better manners?’’

__

‘’I told you to call me-’’

__

You put up your finger to rest on your lips, signaling him to keep quiet.

__

‘’Ah, ah, ahh, I don’t wanna hear it’’

__

You half expected him to say something,  _ do something _ , but he didn’t. He let you interrupt him, and caught your gaze. His eyes were filled with a strong fire. 

__

‘ _ Oh fuck’ _

__

You grabbed the wine bottle, still holding his gaze, and brought it to your lips. You took a long swig, enjoying the sweet taste of the wine Jumin had picked for you, and let the bottle fall with a content and over exaggerated ‘’ahh.”

__

‘’I’m going to need a lot more wine if I’m going to get through these three hours with you, or perhaps  _ you  _ need some more to loosen up that stuck up personality of yours’’

__

Jumin, still fiery eyed, walked towards you and grabbed the bottle out of your hand, muttering something that sounded like ‘’ _ could at least have used a glass, Jesus’’ _

__

He put down the wine out of your reach, and before you realized what was happening, he had roughly grabbed your chin, moving his face to be only a few inches from yours. He spoke through gritted teeth, but the scent of wine was still strong.

__

‘’Likes to talk back  _ and  _ has bad manners, well aren’t you a wild one’’

__

You couldn’t tell if he was seriously annoyed or just playing with you, but some part of you must have had a death wish, because you intended to find out.

__

‘’If that’s what you consider wild, then you obviously don’t leave your apartment often, Jumin’’

__

For a few seconds all he did was stare at you intensely, but then he finally released his grip on your chin, and you let go of your breath which you hadn’t even realized you had been holding. Both of your hands rested on the counter behind you, as you weren’t sure if you could stand on your own anymore. Jumin turned his back to you and let out a frustrated groan while running a hand through those perfect dark locks of his. 

__

You didn’t know if you should say anything,  _ why was he acting so strange all of a sudden?  _ You tested if your legs could stand on their own, and then said the only thing your clouded mind would let you.

__

‘’C-Can I use the restroom real quick?’’

__

He let out a deep sigh and nodded while pinching the bridge of his nose.

__

‘’Fourth door on the left down the hall’’

__

_ ‘Holy shit, how many rooms is in this apartment? Didn’t he live alone?’ _

__

Without another word you walked past him with hasty steps, to get away from the awkward tension that had unexpectedly crept up on you both.

__

You walked down the hall, which was just as elegantly and simply decorated as the rest of the place; white walls, a few end tables with colorful flowers placed in luxurious vases, and a single painting hanging between two solid, wooden doors.

__

You stopped to briefly look at the painting. It was a beautifully painted portrait of Jumin sitting on a chair in his usual fancy getup and stern look. Behind him stood a man who looked to be related to Jumin, but way older -  _ his father without a doubt.  _ By his side stood a woman you could only assume was Jumin’s mother; she didn't look that much older than Jumin though, with her brown neatly styled hair and red tassel earrings. 

__

It seemed strange to you, and even though your mind tried telling you that his personal life was something you shouldn’t look into, your curiosity got the best of you. It wasn’t like you were in a hurry to return to the company of Mr. Trust Fund anyway.

__

‘ _ Hmm, did he say fourth door on the left or feel free to check everything? Better do both to make sure’ _

__

You silently and slowly opened the door to the right of the painting, and peeked inside to deem it safe before entering fully. Immediately you were hit with the strong scent of leather and books; you were in his home office. You closed the door after you and looked around. The walls were covered in tall, wooden shelves  filled with countless books about economy, business management,  _ and was that a gardening book in the corner of your eye? _

__

In the back of the room was a large mahogany desk with a leather chair, well suited for the CEO of a big corporation or something alike. Two smaller chairs stood in front of the desk, ‘ _ this is probably where he hosts private business meetings.’  _

__

You walked to the desk and sat down in the chair, swinging your legs over the armrest. If Jumin had seen you like that he would probably start rambling about manners again, and for some reason,  _ you kind of wanted that.  _ Usually when clients lectured you on your behaviour, you just rolled your eyes and tried to act like you were actually listening, but with Jumin, you found the thought of him trying without losing his patience amusing.

__

The desk was nearly empty except for some neatly stacked blank paper and a fancy pen beside it, but that wasn’t what caught your attention. You picked up the object placed on the corner of the desk to study it closer. 

__

_ ‘Holy shit, he looks...so..happy’ _

__

The object in your hand was a photograph in a beautiful, white frame with an inscription on the bottom; ‘’Always loved, never forgotten.’’ The picture was of Jumin, in a way you could never have imagined him; Hair ruffled, wearing jeans, a black t-shirt and a wide, genuine smile. Beside him stood a man with bright blue hair, his smile as big as Jumin’s, and in front of them both stood a beautiful woman with long blond hair and a gentle face. 

__

A million thoughts and theories ran through your head at that moment; were they his friends? His family? Was the woman an ex?  _ What was meant with the inscription?  _ Your thoughts were interrupted by a sound of something being knocked over, coming from somewhere in the room next to you. You frantically got out of the chair, making sure to put down the picture where you took it, leaving no evidence of you ever having been there. You exited the room as silently as possible and continued down the hall to the bathroom, desperately hoping Jumin hadn’t heard the sound as well and had come to investigate it, only to catch you red handed.

__

______________________________________

 

His bathroom was bigger than any you had ever seen,  _ ‘probably bigger than my living room too.’  _ Up against the right wall stood a row of counters with a marble sink built into it and with a large gold framed mirror hanging above it. To your left stood a classic room divider with some clothes hanging over it, just waiting for a maid to come get them. 

In the back of the room was something that had your jaw almost down to your chest. You admired it while walking closer to it and placing your hand on the surface, feeling the cooling autumn air prickle your skin. It was a window that covered the entire wall, and had you looking all over the city. All the buildings lit up the night like Christmas lights,  _ it was absolutely breathtaking. _

In the middle of the room stood a bathtub big enough for three people,  _ but probably never used for more than one _ , raised slightly off the ground on a small platform. The entire room was simple, yet elegant;  _ just like the man who owned it. _

You walked to the mirror and took a long look at your reflection. You really had outdone yourself tonight; you looked truly stunning with your soft curls bouncing ever so slightly every time you moved and your necklace draping perfectly over your chest. 

You caught a glimpse of something in the mirror that caught your attention. You stepped over to the room divider and let your fingertips run over the clothes that were hanging there.  _ These were sports clothes.  _ That in itself wasn't interesting,  _ of course he works out, _ but the thought that had creeped into your mind of Jumin wearing those clothes, sweating and panting in them, sent a small shiver down your spine. Shocked, you quickly removed your hand from the clothes, almost as if they had burnt you.

‘ _ what the hell is wrong with you, he's just a client like anyone else’  _

Quickly stealing a glance of yourself in the mirror again, you nodded at your reflection before moving to the door and putting your hand on the handle. Before you could open it, someone else did. Or more precisely,  _ Jumin did. _

You nearly crashed into each other and you would have fallen if it weren't for Jumin’s hand on you arm, keeping you steady

“oh, Ruby, I am so sorry, -” 

He let go of your arm and took a step back, while tugging on his shirt to straighten it again.

“- you had been gone so long I feared you had gotten lost… or had run away”

_ Was this his attempt at being humorous? Or did he actually fear that you would try to escape?... _

_...did you want to escape? _

Awkward silence filled the room yet again, but his look was so sincere, so worried, that even you couldn't bring yourself to say something sarcastic. Instead you pointed to the window behind you, and offered him a small smile.

“actually, I kinda got lost in the view"

Your words seemed to relax him, as he took a step backwards to make room for you to go through the door and back into the hallway. He offered you a careful smile of his own.

“Glad you like it. I would offer to spend the rest of the night in front of it, but I hardly think a bathroom is an appropriate place to converse” 

Feeling like the awkward tension had disappeared with his attempt at humor, you finally dared to make a crude comment. 

“it's not like you need that beautiful view anyway, you have the greatest view money can buy right in front of you"

You half expected him to simply laugh in response or make a comment about your manners again,  _ but he didn't. _

He grabbed your wrist and pulled you further into the hallway, only to have you nearly trip again,  _ damn these heels,  _ and stumble into his chest. He didn't let go of you, he was pulling you closer.

“I did pay good money for this view, but I have avoided excessive staring up until now, considering the gentleman I am, but since you gave the invitation-"

He stepped away from you and leaned against the wall behind him while crossing his arms, looking hungrily at you; studying your every feature. 

“- I'm definitely going to adore this view some more”

_ You suddenly swore to yourself that you had never felt more self conscious in your entire life.   _

What felt like hours in your world went by without him uttering a word. Only looking. All the while you seemed to have forgotten how to stand, where arms go, and hell, you even forgot how to breathe at one point. 

The worst part of it all was that he was admiring you.  _ Admiring, not staring as if you were some piece of meat he wanted to devour. _

You were so used to being objectified by your clients, one of them even insisted you try on an outfit he had picked out specifically for you. That outfit being a piece of red cloth leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. ‘ _ I'm not a hooker, I'm not a hooker’  _ was the line you repeatedly told yourself that night, just to maintain what little dignity you had left.

The situation soon overwhelmed you, as you could feel yourself tremble.

“Jumin I.. I...can we...not..”

You didn't know what to say, and you were afraid to even look at the man before you. Luckily you didn't have to for him to understand your nonsense. 

You could feel him gently grab your hand and begin to escort you down the hall, back to his living room. He sat you down on the couch and placed himself next to you, studying your expression in an attempt to decode your thoughts. Had you looked up, you would have seen that his expression was even more sorry than yours. 

The Ruby that had first stepped foot in this apartment was nowhere in sight, and therefore the next words you spoke took you both by surprise.

“Jumin, what are you doing.. one moment it seems as if you want to eat me alive, the next moment you look at me as if I'm delicate flower you're afraid to bruise, -”

You lifted your head to look him straight in the eye with a stare so serious, it sent a slight shiver down his spine.

“- Jumin, what was your reason for hiring me?”

Jumin blinked a few times out of surprise. The question had clearly caught him off guard, he looked as if  _ he _ didn't even know.

You waited patiently for his answer, although your nerves were beginning to get the best of you, but right when he opened his mouth he was interrupted by the loud “beep! Beep! Beep!” Coming from the watch on your wrist. 

_ Time's up. _

  
  



	2. Bruises Of The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when two emotionally unstable people come together? Well you're about to find out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all the two (???) people who was waiting for the new chapter, I hope you're ready, this is going to get whACHO

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

 

 You awoke to the sound of your alarm clock, followed by you repeatedly hitting your nightstand in an attempt to find it and turn it off. A loud groan escaped your throat as you buried your face in the soft pillow and wondered if you could simply ignore the alarm and keep sleeping. You finally managed to turn it off, but only a few seconds later your phone began to ring. Reluctantly you picked it up and cleared your throat before talking. You didn’t bother to open your eyes and your voice was still hoarse and sleepy.

 

‘’Hello?’’

 

‘’Oh! Forgive me, did I wake you?’’

 

You immediately recognised the voice of the overly anxious assistant from Diamond Girls Companionship. She sounded like someone who had already had one coffee to many, _which she probably had,_ and it only made you even more tired.

 

‘’No, Carly, it’s fine. What did you want?’’

 

You ran a hand through you hair and silently hissed at the pain as one of your fingers got caught in a tangle.

 

‘’Well, it’s just because I wanted to inform you, that you’ve been hired again tonight’’

 

You groaned, not caring if Carly heard it.

 

‘’Two nights in a row? Can’t you get someone else to do it?’’

 

On the other end of the line it sounded as if Carly had just dropped a bunch of papers and was now scrambling on the ground to collect them, _which honestly wouldn’t be the first time._

 

‘’Erhm, you see, he asked _specifically_ for you, and uhm,-’’

 

A muffled ‘’clunk’’ indicated that the phone had been dropped momentarily before frantically being picked up again.

 

‘’-Well, it’s Mr. Han again’’

_You suddenly felt -very- awake_

 

You quickly sat up, swung your legs over the edge of your bed, and fumbled around in the drawer of your nightstand to find your glasses, only to put them on crookedly.

 

‘’What?!’’

 

‘’I-I said-’’

 

‘’I heard what you said. He ordered me _again_?’’

 

You got up and walked over to your dresser. Your face reflected in the mirror hanging above it, which made you frown at the sight; you hadn’t fully removed your makeup from the night before, and now looked like a mixture of a panda and a crack whore.

 

‘’Yes, he must really have enjoyed your company yesterday, he called us as soon as the phone line was open’’

 

Carly’s bubbly laugh came through the phone, but you were in no mood to join her. ‘ _I have to spend another night with that pompous freak?’_ You turned around and leaned your back against the dresser as you rubbed your forehead in annoyance

 

‘’Fine...Fine, i’ll do it, it’s not like I have a choice anyway’’

 

Carly’s laugh quickly died down as she cleared her throat and attempted to put on the most business-y voice she could muster.

 

‘’Yes, then, i’ll arrange for a car to pick you up at six, remember to smile and be poli-’’

 

_Click._

 

A deep sigh escaped you as you hung up the phone and threw it onto the bed. The clock on your wall informed you that it was only 7:33, and seeing as you hadn’t had your first cup of coffee for the day, you were in no mood to listen to Carly telling you what to do. _You were never really in that mood, regardless of the amount of coffee ingested._

 

You really liked Carly though. She had helped you a lot when you first started working at DGC and never hesitated to stop all of her work just to answer a question of yours. She was a mere 22 years old, two years younger than you, but already had a career in the business world and was rapidly getting more recognition for her work. No matter how clumsy or shy she was, no one could deny her dedication and success within her field.

 

For a while you simply stood and listened to the silence of your home. You lived alone in a small two-story apartment; the upstairs consisting only of your bedroom. Located downstairs was the combined living room and kitchen and a bathroom. _And that was it._ You kind of enjoyed the limited space as you had always found that larger houses made you feel lonely. Your _entire_ apartment was about the same size as the room you had growing up. Just thinking about the bright pink walls and mountains of plush animals made you shiver; feelings of disappointment and neglect filled you every time you were reminded of the past and you were sick of it. _The past should remain in the past._

 

You stretched your arms above your head with a yawn before walking downstairs. You immediately turned on the coffee machine, knowing very well that you wouldn't be a functional human being without your caffeine. You opened both the fridge and cupboards before stating that your breakfast would have to be either cold take-out from two nights prior, cereal that _might_ be a little too old or dry bread with nothing to put on it. A defeated sigh escaped you as you closed the cupboard and leaned your forehead against it.

 

‘’Well, I guess coffee and a smoke will have to do for now’’

 

You made a mental note, reminding yourself to go grocery shopping, before having to get dressed up for work. _Again._ You took a sip of your now finished coffee and hissed at the sudden sting on your tongue. You didn’t get to finish it before your phone rang, once again. _But this time you recognised the ringtone you had specifically  picked out for that person._

 

You put the cup down, drops sloshing over the edge and onto the counter. You quickly ran upstairs and practically threw yourself over the phone before frantically tapping the green symbol.

 

‘’Saeran, hi, what’s up? Are you okay?’’

 

Your tone sounded like that of a concerned mother; it was something he always picked on you for, but you truly couldn’t help it.

 

‘’Yeeahh I’m-I’m fine, I just, noo I wan-want to go hoooome’’

 

You closed your eyes and pinched the bridge of your nose, immediately catching on to his situation. This wasn’t the first time you had received that kind of call from Saeran, so you instantly knew that he was piss-hammered drunk.

 

‘’Saeran where are you? I’ll come pick you up’’

 

The line went silent; each second making you increasingly more nervous. If it wasn’t for the distant sounds of cars, you would have thought he had hung up on you. Even if he had, you would have searched the entire town for his whereabouts, _since you were the only one that cared enough._

 

‘’Iiiii am not suree, outside this night-grocery-club-store thingy’’

 

You were perhaps the only person in the entire world that knew what his gibberish meant, so you instantly got up and picked up the first set of clothes in your dresser, trying to dress yourself with one hand.

 

‘’Saeran, listen to me, stay where you are, don’t move an inch’’

 

You hung up the phone and pulled up the black pair of sweatpants you had grabbed. Then you put on a ripped, grey T-shirt, tying it at the waist and slipped into your combat boots. You quickly grabbed your keys, your leather jacket and fumbled with your air to put it in a bun. With that, you were out the door.

 

_____________________________________________________

 

You found him exactly where you thought he’d be; lying in an alley between a 24 hour store and a trashy nightclub,  reeking of vomit and other bodily fluids. You looked down at the pathetic silhouette of the man you once loved, not knowing if he was asleep or passed out. A groan escaped him and answered the question, instantly making you more relieved.

 

‘’Saeran?’’

 

When he didn’t answer, you crouched in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder, turning him around to see his face. He had a gnarly cut on his lip and a bruise was starting to form around his right eye as well as down his neck. His pale skin was covered in blood; most likely a mixture of his own and his assailant’s.

 

‘’Saeran!’’

 

You shook his shoulders until his eyes fluttered open, revealing the green color you had spent countless hours staring into.

 

‘’Baaabe, you-you’re heree’’

 

A mixture of pity and anger filled your eyes as you stood up, dragging  him with you; the thought that it might hurt him didn’t reach you. You grabbed his chin and moved his face to catch his gaze. Immediately the smell of various types of alcohol assaulted your nose, and you had to fight not to gag.

 

‘’What the fuck have you been doing? Who did this to you?’’

 

Saeran closed his eyes again, maybe because he was ashamed or perhaps he was too tired and drunk to keep them open.

 

‘’Ahh ya know, I just...fell’’

 

You let go of his chin and sat him down on a crate nearby. You stood above him and studied his small frame; lord knows how long it had been since you had last seen him, but despite his condition, he looked the same. His white hair was ruffled and his usual red and black attire, which undoubtedly had been less gross the day before, was skin tight. His jacket had slipped a few inches down his arm, revealing the black tattoo of an eye on his shoulder.

 

‘’Saeran I know you’re just saying that to protect me, but I’m really not in the mood to be coddled right now,-’’

 

Saeran was fiddling with the hem of his shirt, swaying slowly from side to side. Drunk or not, you knew he had the habit of fiddling with his clothes when he was lying.

 

‘’-Nor am I in the mood to coddle you’’

 

A small trail of tears ran down his cheeks and mixed with the blood of his cuts. You knew he was too ashamed to look at you, as well as you knew it was because he never stopped loving you; your opinion and view of him was still felt important.

 

‘’Jesus christ, look at you, it’s only eight O’clock and you’re already fucking hammered - what happened with you?’’

 

Saeran finally dared to look up at you and tried to smile, but failed, the cut on his lip making it too painful.

 

‘’Well, you see, I never actua-llll-ly went to sleeep, so for me it’s just an extension of nighttime’’

 

You leaned down so your faces were close. You had always adored his good looks and back in the day a simple look from him would have made your knees weak, now though, all you saw was a friend in need. _A friend you could never turn your back on._

 

‘’Come on up Saeran, I’ll help you to my apartment so you can get sobered up’’

 

You pulled him up from the crate and placed his arm around your shoulder to assist him in walking, not trusting his ability to coordinate his steps.

 

‘’Your place?’’

 

‘’Yes, I have to work tonight and I have stuff to do before that, so I don’t have time to help you all the way home’’

 

_You also didn’t trust him to be alone, but you would never say that out loud._

 

___________________________________________________

 

After cleaning  his wounds and making sure nothing was broken, you put him to sleep in your bed. You kept looking back and forth between his and your reflection in the mirror, making sure he was resting. You couldn’t concentrate on putting on your makeup, and decided that a simpler look than usual was going to have to do. _You couldn’t stop worrying._ Although it had been a while since you had last heard from Saeran, this was far from the first time you had come to his rescue, and even though you desperately tried to fight the feeling, you couldn’t help always being worried about him.

 

You really didn’t have the energy, nor the desire to dress up that night, so you merely wore an off-the-shoulder dark grey pencil dress and a pair of black heels. Next to that you had also lost the battle with your contact lenses, so you wore your glasses instead.

 

You grabbed your keys and jacket before stepping towards Saeran and crouching in front of the bed, lightly nudging him to wake him up. He groaned, letting you know he was awake, but kept his eyes closed. You spoke in a  loving whisper, through ragged breaths.

 

‘’Saeran, I can’t keep helping you like this. What if I one day help you out of a dangerous situation and the people who did this to you find out? I can’t take that chance, please just-’’

 

The sound of a loud car horn interrupted you, so you placed a quick kiss to Saeran’s forehead, and walked downstairs to  your ride to work. _Which was probably the last thing you wanted to do right now._

 

_____________________________________________________

 

When the elevator doors opened, you were immediately greeted by Jumin, who had clearly been awaiting your arrival. He was dressed in a light grey suit and looked just as perfectly put together as the night before.

 

‘’Good afternoon, Ruby’’

 

As you took a step forward to walk out into the penthouse, he held up his hand to stop you. You sent him a look of confusion before he stepped into the elevator to stand besides you and pressed one of the many elevator buttons.

 

‘’Well, Jumin, that was a quick visit. Are you still going to pay the full price?’’

 

You desperately tried to sounds as playful as your previous visit, and yet, your voice came out way more sardonic than expected; most likely because of the tiring day you had had. You knew that there was absolutely no reason to take your foul mood out on Jumin, no matter how close you were to breaking down, due to all the feelings bundled up in you. You looked up at him, only to find that he was already looking at you. _Studying you._ You quickly sent him a look as to tell him ‘’don’t ask why I look like someone who can’t stop thinking about their dangerous ex boyfriend,’’ and luckily, he caught on.

 

‘’Don’t worry, we’re merely going to the roof garden to have dinner’’

 

‘ _Did...did he prepare a date?’_

 

 _‘’_ We’re… Having dinner? Together? In a garden?’’

 

Considering what had happened  during your previous visit, _the awkward tension and Jumin’s strange and dominant behaviour_ , you were surprised to hear that his plans this time were so casual and, dared you say, _cute._ It actually sounded quite appealing to you, but you were not about to tell him that.

 

‘’We will be eating a meal in a garden, and we will be together. Did I not make myself clear enough the first time?’’

 

He smiled down at you, and at that moment you thought to yourself that maybe,   _just maybe,_ this night wasn’t going to be as horrible as you had expected. The elevator doors finally opened, as you had reached the roof. Waves of green, red, pink and various other beautiful colors reached your eyes as you looked around. A narrow path leading up to a gazebo snaked itself through the many bushes and flowers in the garden, and you had a feeling that if you were to see it all from above, it would have created a beautiful pattern.  

 

‘’It’s just...not what I expected after last night’’

 

Jumin led you towards the gazebo with a gentle hand on the small of your back. He stopped at the stairs to watch you walk up them, looking you up and down and narrowing his eyes. It seemed as if he had chosen to overhear your comment, to study your attire instead.

 

‘’You look different today’’

 

You looked down yourself and instantly knew what he meant. Your hair wasn’t loose and bouncy, but put up in a big messy bun, your attire wasn't mysterious and dark, but grey and elegant, and you wore your glasses instead of your contacts. Not only was your attire different; you had left your playful attitude at home, and your voice was nearly a whisper, sounding like you hadn’t slept in a week. _And that was how you felt as well._ In Jumin’s eyes, you might as well have been a completely new person.

 

‘’You don’t like it?’’

 

Jumin walked up the steps to stand in front of  you, now looking down with a slightly disappointed look.

 

‘’As a matter of fact I don’t,-’’

 

‘ _Excuse me’_

 

You looked up to catch his eyes and lifted your eyebrow, preparing yourself to spew a sea of  ‘’Why would I care’’ and ‘’It’s none of your business how I dress,’’ but before you could do that, he spoke again.

 

‘’You look like an assistant and it reminds me of work. The very reason I hired you in the first place was to distract myself from work and have a real conversation for once’’

 

‘ _Oh’_

 

In that moment you realized that his disappointment wasn’t directed at you, but in himself for not being able to escape work. _You actually felt kinda bad for him._ Maybe it was because of the crazy day you had had or because you were so tired, but you had no idea why you did the next thing you did. You reached up to pull out your hair tie, releasing your bouncy curls, then you stepped out of your heels to stand barefoot in front of Jumin, who was now so much taller than you, that you felt he could simply pick you up with close to no effort. _Which, honestly, he probably could._

 

‘’There. Your assistant would never dare to show up for work like this’’

 

Jumin’s eyes widened as you dressed yourself down; he clearly expected it as little as you did, but a sparkle in his eye let you know that he was pleased with you actually doing something so nice for him. _He wasn’t used to it._ He simply stood and stared at you, before you cleared your throat to snap him out of it. He walked towards the beautifully set table in the middle of the gazebo and pulled out a chair for you. You sat down and examined the decoration of porcelain plates, silverware and a vase filled with white roses. Jumin sat down on the other side of the table, not noticing the slight shiver that ran down your spine due to the sudden cold air on your feet. _‘why did I do this again?’_ He looked like he was about to say something but couldn't quite find the words, so you sent him a small smile to let him know it was okay.

 

“About that thing you said, about this being so different from last night, there's a reason for that"

 

You wrapped your coat tighter around you as you pulled your knees up to your chest. You swallowed the lump that had formed in your throat; you had no idea what he was going to say next, but you somehow feared it anyway.

 

“Yes?”

 

Jumin shifted in his seat, looking both uncomfortable and apologetic.

 

“It’s simply because I wanted to arrange this dinner as an apology for my behaviour yesterday. I may have let my carnal desires overpower my sanity, and I realize how strange that must have felt to you”

 

_‘Carnal desires? Did he really just say that’_

 

“I didn't know that was how you felt Jumin, I merely thought that was how you were"

 

Jumin straightened his back and lifted his chin slightly; completely losing his apologetic demeanor and instead returning to his usual polished and stern look.

 

“I can assure you that I am a gentleman on all occasions, my behaviour yesterday was completely your fault”

 

You adjusted your glasses and had to take a second to make sure you had heard his words correctly.

 

“How in the world was _your_ behaviour _my_ fault?”

 

Before he could get the chance to answer, you were  interrupted by an employee, who had brought your food and placed it in front of you. You smiled politely at him and waited till he was out of earshot. You looked expectantly at Jumin, still waiting for an answer.

 

“If you hadn't provoked me with your behaviour, I wouldn't have had the thoughts that made me act the way I did"

 

You put your feet back on the wooden floor, and leaned across the table, almost dipping your hair in the food on your plate. Jumin leaned in too, the bucket of roses the only thing that separated your faces.

 

“And just how did I act, Jumin?”

 

For a brief moment you saw a familiar glimmer in his eyes. The one that looked like he was only a few teasing words away from pouncing you, knocking the table over in the process.

 

‘’You know how’’

 

You didn’t want this night to turn as awkward and filled with tension as the one before, so you leaned back in your chair and crossed your arms. All your repressed emotions were close to spilling out, and you didn’t have any energy left to stop them.

 

‘’Did it ever occur to you that my job is to play a character? That who you see is an actor paid to entertain you,-’’

 

Jumin was burning a hole through you with his gaze, closely watching your lips as you talked.

 

‘’-so tell me Jumin, did you not feel entertained last night?’’

 

Jumin scoffed at your words and moved the vase of flowers to the side to clearly catch the shocked expression on your face. He leaned further across the table, which only made you move back in your chair.

 

‘’That’s the thing Ruby, you weren’t acting yesterday’’

 

A mocking laugh escaped you to cover up the fact that he was actually right; you hadn’t fully been playing a character, your reaction to him had been completely your own, only your words had been made up.

 

‘’Oh, so you think you know me now?’’

 

You were rapidly growing increasingly tired of his know-it-all attitude, or maybe, you were just tired of him being able to read you so easily. When Jumin didn’t answer you,  you followed his eyes and saw that he was rather fixated on your arm; a small smear of blood stood in contrast to your pale skin.

 

‘’Did you cut yourself on something?’’

 

‘ _Why would you care’_

 

‘’The blood isn’t mine’’

 

You mentally cursed yourself for not cleaning yourself up after helping Saeran. You had the sneaking feeling that Jumin wasn’t going to let this go, and you had promised yourself not to let that arrogant bastard know anything about the real you and your life.

 

‘’So, you beat someone up on your way here?’’

 

His voice was cold and monotone, as was yours; the tension in the chilling air was so thick it could nearly be cut with a knife.

 

‘’I could have. As I said, you don’t know me, you don’t know what I can do’’

 

Jumin looked you straight in the eyes; his gaze stern and demanding. He was in no mood to play around, he was looking for answers.

 

‘’Who’s blood it is then?’’

 

‘ _Ah fuck it’_

 

‘’You really wanna know?-’’

 

You put your elbows on the table and rested your chin in the palm of your hand, as you smirked at him; you wanted to prod and provoke him in an attempt to make him less nosy - wanted to make him regret even asking.

 

‘’It’s my ex-boyfriend's’’

 

Suddenly Jumin’s entire body tensed up, and his aura went dark.

 

‘’Did he hurt you?’’

 

‘’What? No, he would ne-’’

 

‘’Then would you mind explaining how his _blood_ got on you!’’

 

Your plans of provoking him had taken a sudden turn and your breath went ragged; his tone and his demeanor had you anxious as you had no idea what his problem was. You slowly got out of you chair and walked behind him, warily laying a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. You leaned down to talk directly into his ear with an agitated whisper.

 

‘’Jumin calm the fuck down, I’m not the one that got hurt, he was. I helped clean him up, so his blood must have rubbed off on me without me noticing’’

 

Jumin jerked his head away from your lips and placed a hand on your hip to push you aside before standing up. He slowly walked closer to you, causing you to instinctively walk backwards until your back hit the railing of the gazebo. He glared down at you, and you could have sworn you heard him growl.

 

‘’If he’s your ex then why would you help him?’’

 

You put a hand on Jumin’s chest to push him away from you, but he wouldn't budge. You knew you were only digging yourself further down a hole you couldn’t crawl out of, _but you somehow didn’t care._ You had to take your frustrations out on someone, and it just so happened that Jumin was that someone.

 

‘’Because of this,-’’

 

While looking him dead in the eyes, you slowly pulled up one side of your dress in a slow and almost teasing manner, first revealing your lace edged stockings and then your matching underwear. You studied the look on Jumin’s face as he couldn’t help but look down. His expression went from stern to wide eyed as soon as you revealed what you originally intended to show him; a small, white scar just above your right hipbone. He reached out and lightly let his fingertips grace the scar. You shivered at his touch, and Jumin couldn’t help putting on a small smirk at your reaction.

 

‘’Shortly after I broke up with him, I got in an… _accident_... and even though I had broken his heart, he stayed by my side and took care of me’’

 

His smirk faded as he roughly grabbed the hem of your skirt and pulled it back down your thighs.

 

‘’But it was his decision to help you, that doesn’t mean you owe him anything’’

 

His rough action made you gasp, and yet again you tried to push him away. _He remained in  place._ This had turned into an interrogation and you felt like a criminal that was about to be handcuffed and thrown in prison. You heard his words but you refused to acknowledge their meaning. No one had ever talked about Saeran with you before and it made you nervous; you had never thought about why it was that you always helped him out even though it was dangerous.

 

‘’He was the only one by my side, so yes, I do owe him my help!’’

 

‘’No you don’t!’’

 

‘’Yes I do!’’

 

Suddenly Jumin smashed his fist into the pillar right beside your face, out of frustration, making you flinch instinctively. When he saw your reaction he immediately stepped back, releasing his fist and holding his hands up in front of him. He  looked into the ground, muttering something you didn’t hear, before you nodded towards the table, still feeling the hard edge of the railing digging itself into your back.

 

‘’Our food is getting cold, we should-’’

 

‘’Yes’’

 

Jumin breathed out his response as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to recollect himself. You could feel your legs tremble beneath you as you tried to steady your breath.

 

__________________________________________________

 

You both sat down and poked your dinner with your forks, neither one of you having any appetite. Many minutes went by before any of you dared to break the silence. Jumin cleared his throat after swallowing an entire glass of wine; his voice was almost inaudible.

 

‘’I wasn’t going to-’’

 

‘’I know’’

 

 _But you didn’t know._ You truly couldn’t tell if the man before you was capable of hitting you, because you didn’t know him, and he didn’t know you. And so you spent the rest of the meal in silence before the time was up and you left, shoes in hand, without uttering a single word.

 

_Safe to say, you had a hard time falling asleep that night, even with the comforting scent of someone you did know, that Saeran had left behind._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested in getting updates about this fic you can follow my tumblr (ayyy shameless self promotion) there will also be tons of shit-posting ^^  
> http://wonderfully-unamused.tumblr.com/


	3. Pleasure and Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby has had a very rough day and just wants to drown her pain in excessive amounts of wine - luckily she knows just the place to get it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is a little different than the last two chapters, but I hope you like it ^^  
> Feedback is as always highly appreciated! uwu

_ The sound of excited cheers, screams, bones breaking and skin against skin all melted together inside your head as dark eyes met yours. One person was roughly massaging your shoulders and another was tightly wrapping your hands in bandages to avoid your knuckles breaking, but you barely noticed them through your panting and erratic thoughts. ‘’Come on, you got this. Remember, you don’t owe him anything’’ dark hair clung to his sweat covered forehead; the heat from the many bodies packed together and the lack of windows and doors made the place almost unbearable to be in. You jumped up and down a few times to psyche yourself up, before being pushed towards an opening in the crowd in front of you. The bruised body of an unconscious girl was in the midst of being dragged out of the ring; the features of her, now mangled, face covered in the blood oozing from her nose and mouth. Everyone turned to look at you, except the hooded figure of the person you were supposed to fight. Behind you, you heard Jumin cheering you on, but his voice soon drowned in the noisy crowd who was now chanting ‘’fight! fight! fight!’’ _

 

_ Your vision turned blurry as you saw a pair of knocked out teeth on the ground, but you knew you had to focus if you were to have any chance of winning this fight. Surviving this fight. Your opponent's face was concealed but you thought nothing strange of it, maybe you could use it to strike them without them seeing it coming. You put up your hands and waited for the sound of a bell being hit, indicating the start of the fight; the sound never came. Instead the crowd went silent and your opponent lifted their hood to reveal their face. ‘’You don’t owe me anything’’ Saeran’s empty eyes stared at you as he spoke. You wanted to answer him, ask him what he was doing inside the ring, but only white noise escaped your throat. ‘’You don’t owe me anything’’ he spoke the words again and soon the crowd joined in, chanting his words like a spell. Your eyes scanned the crowd for Jumin, but right when you spotted him and was about to run towards safe arms, the sea of people surrounded you, pressing you closer to Saeran. You kept trying to scream Jumin’s name, but you couldn't. A sharp sting suddenly went through your abdomen, which made you instinctively grab the area. You lifted your now blood soaked hands up to your face and then the pain disappeared. The entire room went white, right after a deep and calming voice reached your ear:‘’Ruby...let him go’’ _

 

___________________________

  
  


You jerked up from your bed, bathed in sweat and panting. You squinted at the bright light coming from your phone when you unlocked it to check the time ‘ _ Only 3:42, fuck.’  _ Reluctantly you got out of the bed, instantly feeling the cold hardwood floor against your bare feet. That was easily the worst nightmare you had had in a long time, shaking off the uncomfortable feeling it had left behind wasn’t going to be easy. You grabbed your soft blanket and wrapped it around you before moving downstairs to wander aimlessly around; you were afraid to fall asleep again, fearing that the nightmare might continue. Normally you found the emptiness of your home kind of comfortable, but that night you desperately wished you had someone to wrap their arms around you. ‘ _ Perhaps Jumin wouldn't mind.’   _ You shook your head, feeling ashamed for even daring to have the thought. Nightmares usually didn’t bother you all too much, seeing as their only purpose was to scare you, but this nightmare had seemed so  _ personal;  _ like your mind was trying to send you a message or tell you that you were missing something important in your waking life. 

 

Wanting to think about something else,  _ anything else _ , you sat down on your couch and turned on the TV. Nothing exciting was on, only late night talk shows, re-runs of the news and documentaries about rainforest animals. At least their static voices helped drown out your thoughts. You stared emptily at the screen as you mindlessly zapped through the few channels you had.  “And here we see the Red-Eyed Tree Frog-"  _ click  _ “I guess you could say my career really started taking off when I-"  _ click _ “Corporate heir to C&R International, Jumin Han, gave his statement about the matter earlier today-"  _ click. _

 

_ ‘No wait, what was that?’ _

 

You zapped back to the channel, making sure your mind hadn't just been playing tricks on you. Sure enough, there he was on your screen, being interviewed by some reporter. ‘ _ Not only do you haunt my dreams, but you just had to be on my TV as well.’  _ He was being asked about some stuff related to his businesses, but you merely studied the pixels on your screen, watching his movements and expressions. He looked so stiff, frozen almost, even more so than he did in your company, which made you wonder if the state you had seen him in truly was his relaxed state.  _ Had you been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the real Jumin Han in the time you had spent together? _ As the thought crossed your mind, you couldn't help but reach for your laptop on the coffee table. Turning off the TV and wrapping yourself tighter in your blanket, you did the thing you should never do late at night; you went down the internet rabbit hole of cyber stalking. 

 

_ Many articles and pictures later you were sound asleep on your couch - nightmare free.  _

 

_ __________________________ _

 

The entire world had turned into a blur when you woke up again and not just because of the lack of glasses on your face. Disoriented, you got up from the couch, only to have your legs fail and give in under you, hitting your knee on the coffee table in the process.  _ You oddly didn’t feel the pain _ . Once again you attempted getting up, with the help of a steady hand on your couch, and barely succeeded. Your mind was clouded and empty; the blurry picture of your living room the only thing it could process. With wobbly steps you moved yourself into the kitchen, the sound of rain hitting the window like hundreds of tiny bullets, before leaning over the counter. Apparently Saeran had left a mess of different utensils before leaving the night prior, but to you it only looked like a grey and black blob. You pushed it aside, not realizing that the grey blob was actually a kitchen knife that had now left a deep cut in the palm of your right hand.  _ Still no pain.  _ Suddenly red, grey and white all mixed together as you fell to the ground once again, leaving a bloody imprint of your hand on the floor. You could no longer tell if you were truly awake or still trapped in a nightmare, as you lay on the floor staring at the ceiling. That was until you broke the silence with an earth shattering scream;  _ this time you definitely felt the pain. _

 

You clutched your abdomen as the scar began to pulsate and send waves of fire through your body, making you lay helplessly on the floor, writhing in a small pool of your own blood and saliva. Your eyes fluttered shut as you gave in to the pain, knowing that you couldn’t ease it and had to ride it out. It could take minutes or hours;  _ you knew how to handle it though, experiencing it almost every month since getting the scar.  _ In the last couple of months though, it had not been as extreme, which made you feel that your relapse had something to do with the nightmare. 

 

After what felt like hours, you had finally returned to your normal state of mind. The aftershock of the attack was still strong throughout your body and your face was stained with tears, snot and saliva. The cut on your hand had stopped bleeding and you could finally feel the sting of it, which oddly enough calmed you, at least this way you knew that you were actually awake. All throughout your attack, a single sentence kept repeating itself inside your head in a voice all too familiar: ‘’Let him go.’’ Suddenly all of it seemed to become too much at once; the nightmare, the attack,  _ his stupid face that had burned itself into your mind.  _ You stumbled upstairs as fast as you could to dress yourself in an oversized T-shirt, which on you was a dress, and lace up your knee high boots before going back downstairs to wash your face. Grabbing your phone on the way you saw it was already 16:33 and that you apparently had two missed calls; one from Saeran and one from DGC.

 

‘ _ To hell with ‘em’ _

 

The only thing you wanted at that moment, was to forget that entire day and you knew just the place with a sufficient amount of alcohol to do just that. 

 

____________________________

 

When the elevator doors opened, Jumin was met with a sight that not only had him shocked, but also had him reaching for his phone about to call the police. That was until he recognised the figure sprawled across his couch. 

 

‘’Ruby?’’

 

Jumin had just come home from a long day at work and the last thing he had expected to find in his home was an intruder, let alone one that he actually knew. Countless bottles of wine, full and empty, were scattered across his coffee table. You were lying on the couch, head hanging down the edge and boots sticking into the air, with a wine bottle in one hand a cigarette in the other. As soon as you heard Jumin’s voice, you jerked your head up and,  _ very ungracefully,  _ got off the couch, only to sit back down with your head resting in the palm of your hand, almost scorching your hair with the cigarette. 

 

‘’Ju-Ju bear,-’’ you took a quick drag of your cigarette before continuing ‘’-you’re hooome’’

 

One of your hidden talents was that you always spoke clearly, even when shit-faced, but it didn’t hide the fact that alcohol completely stripped you of your inhibitions and the filter that kept you from saying everything on your mind. Jumin simply stood frozen in place with a shocked expression, either from not expecting to see you in such a state or perhaps because he wasn’t used to people practically breaking into his home.  _ To be quite honest, it was probably both.  _

 

‘’Ho-how did you get in?’’

 

You put down the bottle of wine you had stolen from Jumin’s collection to reach into your boot and pull out your business card, throwing it at Jumin. It softly hit his chest and fell to the ground before he bent down to pick it up and study it.

 

‘’I just showed it to the security guards and they simply thought you had ordered me again,-’’

 

Jumin put the card in his inner pocket and walked towards you, immediately smelling the alcoholic stench that surrounded you. Maybe it was because you had forgotten your glasses at home or the fact that you had had way too much wine for one night, but you couldn’t make out the expression on his face. He either looked confused, angry or  _ oh my, look how handsome his face is. _

 

‘’-Oh, and I  _ might  _ have persuaded them a little with my impeccable charm’’ 

 

Jumin stripped himself of his jacket and removed his tie before walking into the kitchen with a deep sigh. He returned with two wine glasses and held one up in front of your face before sitting down next to you.

 

‘’At least use a glass, Ruby-’’

 

‘ _ Really? I broke into his house and stole his wine, yet all he cares about is manners?’ _

 

‘’-You also can’t smoke in here’’

 

You tapped the bud of your cigarette into the ashtray,  _ that wasn’t there,  _ before inhaling yet again and breathing out the thick smoke directly into Jumin’s face. If you hadn’t been piss-hammered drunk you would have noticed in both his tone and expression that he was worn out and in no mood to be disrespected. Even so, he kept his cool, waiting patiently for you to reveal your reason for ‘’visiting’’ him.

 

‘’You’re ab-so-lutely right Jumin, I  _ can’t  _ smoke in here. This isn’t actually a cigarette, this is a magic wand and I’m about to cast a shut-the-fuck-up spell on your face-hole’’

 

When you finally finished your cigarette, you put it out on his table before leaning towards him while simultaneously pulling him closer to you; digging your nails into his shirt. You nearly melted when you felt his hot breath on your face, too drunk to deny it. 

 

‘’Ruby, what are you doi-’’

 

You covered his mouth with your hand before leaning in even further to whisper in his ear.

 

‘’I’m not Ruby tonight’’

 

A spark lit up Jumin’s eyes.  _ This was his chance.  _ He felt for bad taking advantage of your drunken state, but his curiosity got the best of him. He lifted your chin with his finger and caught your gaze; voice deep and husky when he spoke.

 

‘’Then who is this lovely lady whose company I’m enjoying right now?’’

 

A nervous giggle escaped you, he was  _ too fucking close.  _ Every part of you screamed that you should back away and run while you still had the chance,  _ while you were still a mystery to him,  _ but unfortunately the alcohol screamed louder.

 

‘’I’m the lovely lady who has had a shit day and wants to drown her pain in excessive amounts of wine and pleasure,-’’

 

At this point you were practically straddling him, the heat of his body sending a soothing feeling throughout you. You had your arms around his neck in an embrace, but you had both become so caught up in eachothers words that you hadn’t noticed the position you were in. 

 

‘’-but you can call me Y/N’’

 

It was as if hearing your words snapped Jumin back into reality. With fumbling movements he managed to lift you off of him, like it couldn't happen fast enough. Your body complained at the sudden loss of warmth and comfort, but your mind saw it as a chance to return to the bottle of wine. After a day filled with pain, you were determined to finally feel some pleasure and if he couldn’t give it to you, you would find it somewhere else. Jumin had moved himself away to avoid getting himself in a situation he would never forgive himself for. He spoke your name to himself as if he was tasting every letter, burning it onto his tongue. 

 

With a voice full of lust you called his name, to catch his attention. As soon as he laid his eyes upon you, you lifted the bottle to your mouth, slowly licking the sticky substance that had dripped down the side of it. Jumin’s eyes widened at your provocative action while shifting in his seat, not quite knowing where to place himself. Still holding his gaze you continued working the bottle with your tongue, kissing up its neck before placing your lips on the tip of it. Jumin knew he shouldn’t be encouraging your behavior, he had the feeling it would end badly for both of you, but he couldn’t take his eyes off you. You teasingly licked the tip a few more times before the entire bottleneck slowly disappeared down your throat with ease. Jumin momentarily closed his eyes, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

 

‘’Y/N, what are you doing?’’

 

You removed the bottle from your mouth and placed it on the table before crawling towards him, placing yourself between his legs and tangling your hands into his dark locks. 

 

‘’Isn’t it strange what desire make foolish people do?’’

 

Jumin made a big deal out of keeping his hands as far away from you as possible, which only made you more frustrated. It was a rarity that any guy was able to resist you, never having encountered a no in your life, therefore his next words had you thoroughly confused.  

 

‘’I’m not going to touch you’’

 

You pulled yourself away from him, furrowing your brows in confusion and frustration.

 

‘’You don’t… want to?’’

 

‘’This isn’t about whether I want to or not- you’re drunk and therefore not thinking clearly. If you were sober you would not want this, you don’t even like being around me’’

 

Despite the world around you seeming blurry, you clearly heard the hurt in his voice.  _ Did he actually think you hated him?  _ You thought back to your previous meeting and remembered leaving him without a word; you wanted to explain why his actions had made you act so weird, but alas, you were tongue-tied. After a few moments of silence, you finally found your own strange way of cheering him up.

 

“It's not that I don't like your company, we just, uhm, don't know each other yet. Let me make it up to you, I know how curious you are about me so,-”

 

You moved away from him and put your hands in your lap, indicating you would finally stop groping him.  _ Much to your dismay. _

 

“-ask me anything and I promise to answer truthfully”

 

Jumin didn’t have to think long; a question had lingered in his mind ever since your last encounter. Lying in his bed he had visualized it in front of him, remembering how it felt against his fingertips. During his meeting he had come up with several theories as to where it could come from. On his ride home from work he had wondered if you were insecure about it and if you were,  _ if he could kiss it to make you feel good about it again.  _

 

‘’How did you get your scar?’’

 

You giggled, swaying from side to side ‘’Ah yes, the age old tale of my days as a lawbreaker.’’ You turned around to lay on your back, placing your head in Jumin’s lap,  _ he didn’t protest.  _ He was all ears as you started to tell your story, not knowing that he was the only one lucky enough to hear it, so far.

 

‘’The guy I told you about yesterday, Saeran, well we started dating way back in highschool and,-’’

 

Jumin opened his mouth to comment, but before he got the chance you reached up and softly hit his chest, telling him it was your story and  _ to shut it. _

 

‘’Well, I was deeply in love with him, I would do anything for him which is also why I stayed by his side even when he got involved with some  _ bad people _ \- drug lords and stuff. At some point he started working as some kind of dealer, delivering the stuff or whatever - I tried to stay out of it’’

 

He hummed in acknowledgement, letting you know he was listening. You leaned your head further back to look at him ‘’Jumin, are you sure you want the whole story, or should I just jump forward?’’

 

He offered you a small smile ‘’Tell me everything.’’

 

And so you did. You told him about when Saeran had accidentally lost a huge amount of heroin, trying to hide it from the cops, and therefore got in huge trouble with his boss. About how he had cried and begged and promised to repay him, but nothing had worked. Instead his boss had turned to you and asked if you were willing to repay your boyfriend's debt; you were in love, so of course you said yes. Turns out that not only was he a drug dealer, but he also ran an illegal underground fight club and his girl had just backed out of their deal, so he needed a new fighter. You spared no detail telling Jumin about the awful atmosphere in the humid and blood spattered basement and how you had both won and lost so many fights before it finally came to an end. 

 

You remembered it as if it was yesterday. You, sweating and panting inside the ring as you dodged another hit. Feeling your knuckles bleed beneath the bandages and every muscle in your body screaming for help. You were no fighter and you knew it, but you were determined not to lose. Despite not wanting to be there, the atmosphere and cheers from the crowd always got you pumped up and excited; gave you a rush you couldn’t explain. Apparently your opponent had decided that this was a fight she couldn’t afford to lose, so she had found a creative,  _ and highly illegal,  _ way to make you lose. She slid a small shiv out from where she had hid it and before you knew it, you fell to the floor clutching your stomach as everything went white.  _ Saeran’s voice and sirens were the last thing you remembered about the event.  _

 

_________________________

 

‘’I hope to god you stopped fighting after that’’ Jumin’s voice was stern when he finally spoke after hearing your story.

 

‘’I did. I was going to stop even if it hadn’t happened, I broke up with Saeran right before that fight-’’

 

A melancholic laugh escaped you while you turned around and lifted yourself off of Jumin’s lap‘’-I hadn’t paid off his entire debt, he’s still trying to come up with the money, I think.’’

 

Jumin studied you intensely as you sat up; trying to catch your expression when you spoke about your ex. You had no idea, but a storm was raging inside his head - feelings of jealousy, anger, frustration and sadness all mixing together in a dangerous cocktail. 

 

‘’I need to ask you one more question,-’’

 

All the while, something was raging inside you too, but instead of feelings it was the many bottles of wine you had consumed. You hummed in acknowledgement, asking him to go on.

 

‘’-Are you still in love with him?’’

 

The question took you by surprise and the way he said it was so dark,  _ so demanding _ . Asking about scars is one thing, but asking about feelings is another and you couldn’t quite figure out the motive behind his question, although it should be obvious to anyone. 

 

‘’I...I-’’

 

The answer was clear in your head. You had thought it through many times, but at that moment there was another statement that was way more important.         

 

‘’-need a bucket’’

 

And so you spend that night with your head in a bucket, although you would much rather have kept it in Jumin’s lap.  _ Had you puked a little bit on him too? You hadn’t noticed and you prayed that he hadn’t either. _

 

_________________________

 

You awoke to the feeling of something wet and coarse on your cheek. You fluttered your eyes open,  _ immediately feeling the headache,  _ only to find a white blob of fur with blue eyes staring intensely at you. You returned its stare, lifting an eyebrow in confusion.

 

‘ _ Have I always had a cat?’ _

 

With much struggle you sat up and looked around the room, momentarily forgetting your whereabouts. You knew the room wasn’t yours,  _ or at least you were 90% sure,  _ but your head pounded too much to remember everything. Your shoes stood neatly tucked away besides the nightstand, which had a glass of water on it, indicating that someone had helped you to bed  _ and had actually taken care of you.  _ The cat had now crawled into your lap and curled up into a little ball, so you warily placed your hand on its back. It didn’t seem to mind, so you slowly began petting it, smiling at the soft feeling on your the palm of your hand.

 

‘’Well aren’t you a cutie - you remind me of my old cat at my parents house’’

 

The sounds of footsteps drew you out of your trance and then suddenly you remembered where you were,  _ and whose cat it was.  _ You groaned in embarrassment, thinking about the way you had behaved, practically grinding yourself against Jumin and begging him to touch you. You would be lying to yourself if you claimed you didn’t find Jumin insanely attractive, but the wine definitely played a big part in your behaviour. You gently lifted the cat off you and got out of bed, grabbing your boots on the way out of the door. You looked down the hall making sure Jumin wasn’t there to see you;  _ wanting to avoid embarrassing yourself further. _ The cat ran right past you and into the living area.

 

‘’Oh, Elizabeth there you are. Did you sleep well?’’

 

‘ _ Are you kidding me, he talks to his cat’ _

 

You silently cursed, now knowing that you had to walk _ past him _ to get out of the apartment and into freedom. You stood still for a few moments, preparing yourself for him to  _ yell at you? Look at you judgingly?  _ You didn’t know, but you expected the worst. Finally you stepped out of the room and walked down the hall until Jumin came into your sight. He was sitting on the couch petting Elizabeth -  _ shirtless and only wearing the sweatpants he had slept in.  _ You swallowed a lump in your throat once you saw him,  _ God, he looked good, he clearly took care of his body and- No stop that right now!  _ You took a step towards him and that’s when he finally noticed you. He didn’t look angry, nor judgmental, just as if he was asking ‘’feeling better?’’

 

‘’Jumin, I’m sorry for-’’

 

Jumin sent you a sly smirk before interrupting you ‘’You practically broke into my home and stole my wine, if you’re smart you’ll leave while i turn my blind eye’’ 

 

You felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off your shoulders. Maybe it was the headache making you extra grateful, or perhaps you were still a little drunk, but before you left you placed a loving kiss on Jumin’s cheek and whispered a whole-hearted ‘’Thank you.’’

 

You suddenly didn’t feel so bad about your behavior and you had the feeling that maybe Jumin could forgive it too. What you didn’t know though, was that after passing out drunk, he had carefully carried you to the guest room and tucked you into bed. Not only that but he had checked in on you almost every hour, making sure you were okay and had at one point crouched beside the bed to admire your sleeping silhouette.  _ He couldn’t help himself.  _ You also didn’t know that while admiring you, he had whispered what his heart could no longer keep to itself; ‘’There’s something different about you Y/N, I can’t explain this feeling, but you intrigue me and I want to see you again - just not as Ruby’’

 

The thing Jumin didn’t know though,  _ was that you felt exactly the same _ . 


	4. Dirty money/Dirty girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that this is up so late! I'm in the middle of exams and the creativity has been almost non existing D:   
> Furthermore, this chapter isn't really as well written as the others seeing as i didn't have time to go through it and really correct it xD  
> Again! so sorry, hope you enjoy it anyway :3

A few days had passed without any word from Jumin or DGC. With every passing moment you found yourself getting more and more worried about not having been hired again;  _ had you misinterpreted his goodbye as something good, when in reality you had scared him away?  _ You tried telling yourself that he was probably busy with work, or that maybe his cat had been in an accident, but you couldn’t rid yourself of the feeling that maybe he actually didn’t want to see you again. Although you didn’t want to admit it, the thought made you heavy-hearted; you wanted to see him, maybe even try to figure out what it was about him, that made your heart jump every time he looked at you with those dark eyes.

 

Ever since breaking up with Saeran, love hadn’t been your preferred topic to talk or think about. You never even dared to wonder what would happen if you were to fall in love again - it was out of the question. During those sleepless nights where you wallowed in your loneliness, you wondered if breaking up with him had been the right decision, but every time morning came around, you found the same answer.

 

Bruises, blood and vomit made you think of him, but so did laughing, roses and your favorite T-shirt. Your parents, of course, had always disapproved of him, but in the beginning he had made you happier than you had ever been. At first glance you fell for him, and being young and foolish, you fell  _ hard.  _ Your love for him had made you blind to his mistakes and all the pain he put you through; rose coloured glasses had made his world of violence a paradise. But when the glass finally shattered, you promised yourself that you would never let yourself fall that hard again and blind yourself of the truth. 

 

_ Yet, here you were, free falling with no parachute and denying it to the last. _

 

You could feel your body ache for the touch of Jumin, but you merely told yourself that maybe you were getting a fever. Thoughts of him kept creeping into your mind, but you wrote it off as a coincidence. You kept your phone on you at all times, hoping Carly's bubbly voice would tell you that you had been hired for the night;  _ now that, you couldn't come up with a fake reason for.  _

 

_ ________________________ _

  
  


It had been three days, two hours and 30 minutes since you had left his penthouse,  _ not that you had counted,  _ and you found it surprisingly difficult to fill the silence of your house and mind. You had always told yourself that you were content with loneliness, convincing yourself you felt more alone in the company of others. Perhaps that was reason people rarely approached you; you kept a comfortable distance from attachment as you feared getting hurt.  _ Again.  _

 

Cutting ties with your family hadn’t been easy, but you desperately needed to get away, no,  _ to run away,  _ with the naive hope that someday you would be found by the right person. You couldn't exactly say that you broke the relationship between you and your parents by leaving, as there hadn’t really been one to begin with. Some part of you had even wished that they had put up a fight, refused to let you leave, but instead they let you walk out like you didn’t mean more to them than their many maids. 

 

All these thoughts frantically rushed through your head as you sat on the couch, the noise of the TV faint in your ears. Suddenly a girl in the low budget crime show screamed, snapping you out of your trance. You rubbed your forehead in annoyance once you realized that, yet again, you had fallen into the pit of your past, even when you so desperately tried to avoid it. You had given up any hope of looking decent somewhere around day two of waiting, knowing that you probably wasn’t going to leave the house anyway. Now though, you really craved a walk,  _ and a smoke,  _ to force your thoughts and feelings back where they belonged; In the past.

 

Lazily you got upstairs and dressed yourself in a pair of jeans that were probably more holes than fabric and an oversized black T-Shirt, ignoring the fact that you looked like someone who hadn’t slept all week.  _ But honestly, when didn’t you?  _ Your wavy hair hung down your shoulders and covered a great deal of your features. Looking yourself up and down you couldn’t help but be reminded of your time with Saeran. You would be lying if you claimed your parents weren’t right when they had said you started dressing more as a quote on quote ‘’slutty rocker’’ when you met him.

 

When living a life filled with neatly dressed, bejeweled people, always bragging about their money, it was almost a relief when finally meeting someone who could barely even afford the clothes they were wearing and who, by choice, dressed as a ‘’slutty rocker.’’ It felt freeing to strip yourself of those frilly dresses and let your hair down, even if that meant having to listen to neverending comments from your parents and their friends. After a while the ‘’but you  _ were  _ so pretty!’’ And ‘’you’ll never get a husband like that’’ comments became too much, which lead to you telling your mother's tea party to suck it. _ In your defence you had had a few drinks that day.  _

 

Grabbing your keys and jacket, you left the past behind and walked outside, trying to focus on the present.

 

________________________

  
  


The city wasn’t as crowded as usual, with only a few people here and there rushing out of stores or walking down the street and talking loudly on the phone. You recognized a few of them as you slendered down the pavement, occasionally bumping into people when you weren’t paying attention; the woman who always wore the red necklace, the smiling man by the food stand, the old lady with the judging look. You didn’t know them, but you didn’t have to for them to become a part of your life. Sometimes you wondered if they recognized you too;  _ The frowning woman. _

 

Lost in your own little world, you didn’t notice the woman on the other side of the street, who was staring at you intensely. She had just come out of a store, cheap sushi in hand, and was now wondering if you really were who she thought you were. You took one last drag on your cigarette before dropping it on the ground and taking your wallet out of your pocket. You sighed at its contents,  _ or more accurately _ , the lack of it.

 

When you looked up you nearly jumped in shock as a woman was standing right in front of you. Her short brown hair framed her face where a pair of glasses hung low on her nose. She was dressed as half the people in the town: ready for work. Around her neck hung a card that read ‘’Jaehee Kang’’ and a bunch of other stuff that was undoubtedly related to where she worked. 

 

‘’You must excuse my intrusion out of your work hours, I just had to see if it was really you’’

 

Your heart skipped a beat at her words.  _ No, it couldn’t be, it had been years since you were featured beside your parents in a business magazine.  _

 

‘’Who am I then?’’ You tried hiding the worry in your voice and studied the woman's face, looking for any sign of disgust or judgment. You didn’t find any, on the contrary, she looked excited to see you, as if you were old friend she had run into.

 

‘’You're the so called Ruby from Diamond Girls Companionship, correct?’’

 

You finally let go of your breath and relaxed your shoulders.  _ She didn’t know who you were.  _ Her statement, though, only raised more questions. You were sure you had never been hired by a woman before and the company was highly exclusive, so how in the world did she know your name, let alone your face. 

 

‘’Yes, that would be me I suppose’’

 

Jaehee clearly sensed how confused you were, or perhaps it was due to the fact that your eyebrow was  _ visibly raised. _ A small laugh escaped her when she noticed.

 

‘’I understand the confusion, we don’t know each other, I only recognized you since I was the one who got the job to pick out a girl from DGC to keep my boss company,-’’

 

She smirked almost as if she knew something you didn’t.

 

‘’-And apparently I chose well seeing as he wanted to see you again, although he was reluctant to the idea of a hired companion in the first place’’

 

A hundred questions formed in your mind, but before you got the chance to ask her, Jaehee looked at her wristwatch and interrupted you.

 

‘’I’m sorry to cut our meeting short but I have to get back to work-’’ she hurriedly pulled her wallet out of her bag ‘’- I saw that you had forgotten your money, so here’’

 

“You really don’t have to’’

 

‘’Please, just think of it as a bonus from Mr. Han’’

 

Before you knew it she had slapped the money in your hand and was walking down the street, leaving you alone and confused. You looked at the bills she had handed you, feeling both guilty and relieved at the same time.  _ You hadn’t actually forgotten your money - you didn’t have any.  _

 

_______________________

  
  


‘ _ Who in their right mind gives 100$ to a stranger’  _ you thought as you put the bill on your coffee table, before throwing yourself on the couch. Who was that woman? His assistant? His secretary? Regardless, you couldn’t help but think about what she had said;  _ Jumin was reluctant to hire you, yet he wanted to see you? _ Suddenly it dawned on you just how little you knew about this man, still here you were falling head over heals for him. You mentally cursed at yourself for acting like such a teenager, as you reached out for you laptop and started typing the name of the man on your mind. 

 

Various articles talking about his company popped up as well as a few pictures of him on some front cover.  _ Nothing you hadn’t seen on your previous nights of stalking.  _ You kept scrolling, hoping to find something new, something non business related that would give you insight as to what he was really like. You desperately tried to avoid the many pictures of him scattered across your screen as you didn’t want to get  _ inappropriate thoughts you would hate yourself for.  _

 

Suddenly an article with the title ‘’C&R’s Jumin Han receives critique for use of company money’’ caught your attention. Your eyes widened as you read through the page, letting out small laughs once in awhile and stopping to check if it wasn’t posted on april 1st. Apparently he had spent company money on some strange cat related project, much to his father's dismay, and had refused to end it due to the fact that he quote unquote ‘’thought that cats were just as important as the rest of the company's projects.’’

 

You found it hard to believe that Jumin could actually be passionate about anything, but at the same time you found it relieving, as you had finally found some little piece of the man behind the suit.  _ Although you were sure that the suit was surgically attached to him or something.  _ Subconsciously a small smile grew on your face, only to be interrupted by the familiar sound of Saeran’s ringtone. 

 

‘’Hello?’’

 

Immediately the sound of panting and distant chatter reached your ears.

 

‘’Y/N, hey, so listen,-’’ his voice was almost a whisper and was filled with urgency and nervousness. After many years of being close, you instantly knew what that tone of voice meant ‘’-I’m so sorry to have to ask you this, but I have no choice right now’’

 

‘’Saeran…’’ You couldn’t help but sound disappointed, this being the first nor the last time he was going to ask you this.

 

‘’I..I fucked up and, I’m really sorry, but I’m in desperate need of money and you’re the only one that can help me’’

 

For some reason that word always ticked you off,  _ sorry,  _ but you could never get yourself to be mad at him. Was he really though, or had it simply become a habit for him to apologize. 

 

‘’I...how much do you need this time?’’

 

‘’Just 100$....to begin with’’

 

You rubbed your forehead in annoyance and let out an audible groan. You knew very well that you didn’t have the money, or, that was until you spotted the hundred dollar bill on your table. ‘ _ No, I can’t’  _  you had the sneaking feeling that Jumin wouldn’t be pleased about his money being used on someone he didn’t exactly approve of.  _ On the other hand, he still hadn’t reached out to you, so would he even find out?  _

 

On the other end of the line Saeran was getting impatient and cleared his throat to break the silence that had occurred. You looked at the money as if you were in an intense staring battle.  _ It was winning, shit.  _

 

‘’Fine...fine!’’

 

You quickly got up and grabbed your stuff, including the money.

 

‘’Thank you, you’re the best! Just meet me at-’’

 

‘’I know where to meet you’’ you muttered out your answer before leaving your apartment with hasty and agitated steps.

  
  


_______________________

 

You set foot in the repulsive chopshop you had come to know so well and instantly spotted a very anxious Saeran, surrounded by two large and angry looking men. You nodded at them both.

 

‘’Vince...Dom..’’

 

They answered you with a grunt before looking down on Saeran and nudging him with an elbow and pushing him slightly towards you. Saeran averted your gaze and instead rubbed his shoulder while fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

 

‘’So...do you have the money?’’

 

You pulled out the hundred dollar bill and held it out to him. As he grabbed your hand you took the opportunity to pull him close to you and whisper in his ear.

 

‘’How in the world can you owe money already? Didn’t you get the money I sent you earlier in the month?’’

 

‘’I...I did’’

 

‘’And did you use it to chop off some of your remaining debt as planned?’’

 

Before he could answer, you were interrupted by the two larger men who apparently was in a rush to get their money and be rid of Saeran.

 

‘’Hey girls, now isn’t the time to gossip, get a move on’’

 

You let go of him and turned around, more than eager to leave the building as soon as possible. The largest of the bunch, Dominique, followed you and blocked your way, looking down on you with a raised eyebrow. His voice was like thunder, deep and sending shivers through your body.

 

“so Knuckles, how come I haven't seen you in the ring lately? I'm starting to miss seeing your pretty little face lying in its blood"

 

He let out an earth shaking laugh while slapping you playfully on the shoulder, the mere force of it enough to make you step out of place.  You glared up at him, burning a hole through his tattooed skin with your eyes. 

 

“I quit a while back"

 

At this he laughed again, this time Vince joined in.

 

“we all know it's impossible to quit. Either your boss thinks you're done,-”

 

He leaned in so your faces were mere inches apart. The stench of alcohol and cigarettes was strong on his breath.

 

“-or the doctors do"

 

After making sure the money wasn't fake and telling Saeran something you couldn't hear, Vince let go of him and stepped besides Dom.

 

“and since all your limbs are still attached, imma take a wild guess and say you got fired”

 

Your eyes flickered between the brutes and Saeran who was looking into the ground.  He had never been the type to puff himself up to protect his girl, in reality it had mostly been the other way around. You started to feel your scar throb beneath your clothes from being reminded of the past once again. 

 

“yes...you're right, I got fired"

 

You took a step backwards, towards the door, before looking at Saeran with a disapproving look.

 

“if we're done here I suggest you let me and Saeran go. I don't exactly miss the stench of motor oil and dirty money"

 

___________________

 

You barely got through the door to your apartment before your phone rang. ‘ _ Probably just Saeran wanting to apologize.’  _ what you wanted most at that moment was to throw your phone in the toilet and crawl beneath your blankets, but those wishes immediately died when you saw the number on your screen. 

 

“carly! Hi!” 

 

Carly let out a small yelp of surprise.

 

“uhm, he-hello, I know it's short notice but I just wanted to get your clearance on something before confirming with the client”

 

“clearance? For what?”

 

Normally clearance was only needed if a client had made a special request, but usually they just hired the type of girl they were seeking, so this was new to you.

 

“well, you see, Mr. Han wants to hire you again, but...at your place"

 

Hearing that name made your heart jump as a small smile grew on your face. Once you processed what she had said though, it quickly faded. You took a look around your apartment,  _ which you couldn't exactly call spacious or fancy,  _ and imagined having him walk around it. Oh god, he would judge you, he would leave, he would be disgusted, he would realize how far apart you are in social status, he would-

 

“Y/N?”

 

“yes?”

 

“are you okay with that?”

 

You swallowed the lump that had formed in your throat, “send him my address”

 

The fear of him being disgusted was deafened by your need to see him again, so your mouth spoke independently of your mind. Once giving Carly her answer you immediately hung up and threw your phone somewhere into the abyss. You took a look around your space; the clothing scattered across the floor, various band posters on the wall, and a  _ not so charming  _ sink filled with dishes. You sighed in defeat and buried your face in your hands, muffling the sound of your voice.

 

“fuck, I have to clean this mess"

 

________________

 

It was exactly seven O'clock when you heard a car being parked outside your building. You had managed to clean your apartment, but the place still looked like the opposite of Jumin’s; all the furniture was dark and not exactly new, posters covered the walls, plants and other knick knacks were scattered here and there, and most of all it was  _ warm  _ and  _ comfortable.  _ As you discreetly looked outside the window, you saw a tall handsomely dressed man step out of a huge vehicle and say something to his driver before walking towards your front door.  _ He was here, in your home.  _  It felt like your heart was about to jump out of your body at any moment, and you didn’t understand why.  _ Or maybe you did, but refused to acknowledge it.  _

 

It seemed as if your entire relationship with Jumin was built on denial. You  _ knew  _ you wanted to see him, but you  _ refused  _ to see that the reason why was because that maybe, just maybe, you were starting to like him. It had been easy to repress those thoughts right until the woman you had met earlier told you those confusing words: ‘’He wants to see you.’’ 

 

A knock on the door ripped you out of your head. For a moment you contemplated whether it was an option to ignore it and run away to Mexico, dye your hair green and change your name, so that you could forever live a life free of the fear of falling in love.

 

‘ _ Fuck it, might as well fall hard’ _

 

With trembling fingers you managed to open the door to greet the sharply dressed man behind it. A small smile grew on his face as soon as he saw you and from behind his back he pulled a bucket of red roses and held it in front of you.  _ At that moment you were sure your face was the same color as the flowers. _

 

‘’J-Jumin, you really didn’t have to’’

 

‘’Of course I did, it’s common courtesy to bring a gift to the hostess,-’’

 

His smile turned into a smirk when you took the flowers and gestured for him to step inside.

 

‘’-I would have brought a bottle of wine, but something tells me you’ve had enough for an entire month’’

 

You stepped over to your sink to fill a vase with water before placing the flowers in it. Jumin was in the meantime looking around your apartment,  _ although there wasn’t much of it,  _ and was studying the decorating. Ignoring his crude comment you stepped closer to him and delicately wrapped your fingers around his tie. Wide eyed he looked at your hand, then up at you - clear lust in his eyes. You reduced your voice to a seductive whisper, your body now acting without your mind; you couldn’t tell if it was the nice gesture or simply his presence that did it to you.

 

‘’This is a no-tie zone, I don’t allow fancy attire in my house’’

 

_ And indeed it was.  _ You yourself were dressed in thigh-high socks, a tight black skirt and a band shirt you had ripped the bottom off so it now functioned as a crop-top. You tightened your grip around his tie before letting it go and starting to loosen the knot and pull it over his head; your hand brushed a strand of hair and sent a tingling feeling through your hand and down your arm. Soon his jacket followed and was now neatly hung on your coat hanger,  _ because of course he couldn’t just throw it on the floor, geez.  _

 

‘’I must respect your rules and I have to say, it’s really refreshing to meet you out of my place’’

 

You sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to you, telling Jumin to join you. He was in the midst of rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt,  _ fuck his forearms are perfect too. _

 

‘’So,-’’ you said with a smirk ‘’-why couldn’t we be at your place this time?’’

 

He caught your gaze and  _ oh god there it was again,  _ the lust in his eyes, like a wolf looking at its prey. His dark eyes swallowed you whole and you wanted nothing more than to just give in and let him have you.  _ His way. _

 

‘’I don’t think my apartment is safe for the moment, you see, a woman managed to break in a few days back’’

 

‘’A woman? Did she...steal anything?’’

 

The space in between you was rapidly closing, you could feel his breath on your neck as he had moved his lips to your ear. 

 

‘’Only my attention’’

 

In that moment everything exploded. His soft lips were claiming yours in a hungry kiss as you ran your fingers through his hair, pulling him even closer. He lightly bit your bottom lip, making you open up just enough for him to slide in his tongue. Like your life depended on it, you never parted, only pulling each other closer so that you were now straddling him, his strong arms wrapping tightly around your back in an embrace. All your thoughts and doubts were thrown out the window,  _ he  _ was all that mattered at that moment. When you finally parted, you rested your foreheads against each other and took a second to catch your breath. Jumin was the first to speak.

 

‘’You have...no idea...how long i’ve wanted to do that’’ 

 

‘’Since you first saw me and I called you a pompous asshole?’’

 

He pulled away just enough to look at you with a raised eyebrow, ‘’You didn’t call me that’’

 

A giggle escaped you, ‘’Well, I thought it’’

 

Before he could answer, you kissed him again, memorizing the feel and taste of his mouth. It felt as if the entire room was on fire, and as he started to slide his hand lower and lower, you had to decide whether or not you were going to run for the fire exit.  _ You stayed.  _ His hand had now reached the edge of your skirt and was tugging lightly, asking for permission before going further. You managed to breathe out a needy ‘’yes’’ and that was all he needed. 

 

The feeling of skin against skin, his hand touching your most sacred, sent a shiver down your spine as you fought to keep in a moan.  Jumin was hungrily kissing and biting your neck, undoubtedly leaving you to deal with marks in the morning.  _ You didn't think, only felt.  _ His fingers began rubbing your clit, making it impossible for you to contain your sounds any longer. You felt him smirk against your neck as a whimper escaped you. 

 

It was as if you two had done this many times before; his hands knowing exactly what to do to get you to the edge, and your nails digging into the spot on his back that turned him  _ animalistic.  _ No words were exchanged, almost as if you were afraid that breaking the silence with anything other than your moans and whimpers would ruin the moment. 

 

Without any warning, he inserted a finger into your already soaking heat, earning a gasp from you. He groaned into your neck in response, sending vibrations through your body. It all felt so perfect, so satisfying,  _ so wild, so amazing, so- _

 

All of it got interrupted by your phone starting to ring. 

 

_ ‘Not a good timing Saeran’ _

 

Suddenly the entire weight of the world came crashing down on you as you finally snapped back into reality and realised  _ just what you were doing. _ Like it couldn’t happen fast enough you managed to slither out of Jumin’s grasp and stand up, pulling your skirt back in place in the process. He looked puzzled, to say the least, as you turned your back to him and ran a hand through your hair. He got up and stepped besides you, laying a hand on your shoulder.

 

‘’Hey, what’s wrong?’’

 

You felt humiliated, confused, frustrated and sad all at once, almost on the brink of tears. You shrugged off his hand and, without looking at him, muttered out your words.

 

‘’I think you should go’’

 

You almost expected him to protest or fight back, refusing to leave, but alas, he complied and left without another word;  _ much to both of your surprise.  _


	5. It's just business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby likes Jumin. Jumin likes Ruby. Oh boy, I wonder if this will end happily

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been 87 years....  
> I'm so so so sorry guys, I'm slow as shit!  
> I hope you're still here, still reading lmao

The next couple of days you found yourself in a dense fog, clouding your feelings and thoughts. You had to drag yourself out of bed, even just grocery shopping seemed like a huge mountain to climb. You were hired a few times by the same old pervy, rich men, but you didn't mind.  _ At least they weren't Jumin.  _ It felt almost comforting to put on your teasing and sassy attitude again, it felt like a shield to hide behind. Perhaps that was why you had flipped out on Jumin like that; you didn't know how to handle  _ real  _ emotions.  _ Real _ Skin on skin contact. It had all just become  _ too real. _

 

You shook your head as if that would make the thoughts fall out onto the floor. You checked your bag one last time for your keys and wallet before you placed a cigarette on your lips and walked out the front door. The air was cool and sent small prickles down your arm; It reminded you a little too much of that first night together on his balcony. You almost missed it.   _ Missed him _ . Yet you still hadn't just contacted him, refusing to be the first to reach out. I mean, had you been a guy that had been kicked out moments before sex, would you want to see that girl anytime soon? 

 

On your most lonely and sleepless nights you had considered calling Saeran for comfort, but when you found your thumb hovering over the caller ID, you always changed your mind. One man used you for sex, the other for money.  _ Wow Y/N, you really have a knack for picking them, huh? _

 

You just barely got to finish your cigarette and put it out on the ground before arriving at your destination. Taking out your ID you ran it through the security system, patiently waiting for the small beep granting you access. 

 

You pushed on the door before before releasing a deep sigh and leaning your head against the cold glass.

 

“pull, Y/N, pull" you muttered to yourself, wondering if Jumin could be blamed for your inability to open doors all of a sudden.

 

As soon as you entered the building, your body shivered at the sudden change of temperature. The place smelled like a mixture of coffee, freshly printed paper and expensive perfume. _ The smell of business _ . The room was filled with employees - talking, rushing to the elevator and signing documents. 

 

Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted a familiar face. Crystal - another diamond girl. Her name, of course, wasn't crystal, it was Hyo-no-Hyun something. You never bothered to remember.  _ She was sort of a bitch.  _

 

The sound of countless stilettos clicking along the marble floor made you look down at your combat boots. They were messy and clearly didn't belong here. ‘ _ Awfully familiar scenario’  _ you thought.

 

You stepped further into the room only to bump into a suited man, who didn't even bother to look back and apologize. You might as well have been a stranger in there without your extensions, fancy clothing and flirtatious posture.  _ Y/N who? Oh, ruby!  _ Is something that had probably been said a few time by other employees. You pushed your glasses further up your nose and pushed your way through the sea of people, making your way to the front desk. Luckily you finally spotted the dark haired, petite frame of the person you were searching for. 

 

“Carly!”

 

Carly looked up from her computer screen and offered you a smile that read as “i'm busy, make it quick please"

 

“long time no see, how may I help you?” Is what she said instead though.

 

Her ability to multitask had always impressed you, and more so now when she was typing at full speed on her keyboard while keeping her attention on you. It was like her hands were separate from the rest - living their own life.

 

“I uhm, got a message saying there was some papers I should sign regarding my contract?”

 

Carly briefly stopped typing and looked to the side as if trying to remember something. Over time you had noticed that every time she was confused, she scrunched up her nose like a tiny little hamster - you couldn’t help but silently laugh at the sight. You could practically see the lightbulb above her head go off as she suddenly jumped up from her chair and started going through a stack of papers. You shifted in place as you waited for her, pulling your leather jacket closer around you. 

 

After a while she picked up an entire stack and walked around the desk to stand in front of you. The stack was tall enough to cover the lower part of her face, concealing the frown she was undoubtedly sporting. 

 

“it should be in here somewhe-"

 

Suddenly papers were scattered in the air as someone bumped into Carly, making her drop everything. A panicked squeal escaped her as she tried to grab as many papers in the air as possible. You bent down to pick up the ones that had landed, carefully watching the feet of any passerbys, wanting to avoid any hand-stepping.

 

“just-argh-pick up anything with you name on it, then we'll-urgh-take it from there"

 

None of the papers seemed to be related to you or of any relevance. That was until you spotted a paper with your name on.  _ Or rather your families name.  _ It definitely wasn't the paper you were supposed to sign, but it caught your curiosity, so you discreetly put it in your back pocket, hoping Carly wouldn’t notice.  _ Because honestly, if family didn’t mean ‘’snooping in each other's business’’ you didn’t know what did. _

 

When everything was gathered Carly pushed some papers against your chest before hastily returning to her work, making up for lost time. Having gotten what you needed,  _ and a little more, _ you left the building again, not wanting to spend another second in that suit infested hell-hole.

 

 

________________________

 

 

You were seated at your coffee table as anger filled your entire body. You crumbled up the paper in your hands, nearly tearing it apart in the process.  _ It had all been a lie.  _ Every moment of independence, of freeing yourself of your family and their dirty money, of not being controlled by them - all lies. You had read the content of the paper probably 20 times, making sure you hadn’t misunderstood anything.  _ But alas, you had read correctly.  _

 

‘’You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!’’ you yelled out into the room, throwing the ball of paper against the wall, only to have it plop onto the ground. You wanted to scream, to hit something.  _ Someone.  _ And more than anything, you wanted to make a surprise visit to your parents to see their expression, when you told them you knew about their little scheme. 

 

For 13 months; for 13 godforsaken months had you been working in that place, oblivious as to why it had been  _ so fucking easy  _ for you to get the job in the first place. You snatched up your phone, determined to at least yell at someone digitally - only question was who. Your parents would hang up, insisting to take this conversation ‘’some other time’’, Saeran wouldn’t understand, let alone be able to help you, and Jumin - well Jumin he….  _ No, no you can’t talk with him.  _

 

Then again, Jumin did know an awful lot about business, he would understand your situation, might even be able to help you find a loophole or something in your contract. At some point during his visit to your house, he had left his business card,  _ although you didn’t know if it was intentional or not,  _ which was the reason for you now having his personal number saved in your phone. It took you a few moments of groaning in discontent and staring at your screen, before finally pressing his caller ID, cautiously raising the phone to your ear.

 

It rang once, then twice, then six times, and for a moment you thought he wasn’t going to pick up. Just as you were about to lower your phone, a dark and serious tone cut through the silence.

 

‘’Talk’’

 

You suddenly found yourself tongue tied and mentally cursed at yourself for not planning something to say. 

 

‘’I…Jumin?’’

 

You heard the rustling of bedsheets coming from your phone as you spoke.  _ Was he in bed? At this hour?  _ His tone was now less serious and more hopeful. Curious even. 

 

‘’Y/N, yes, it’s me. I see you found the card I left you’’

 

Yet again you heard rustling.

 

‘’Why are you in bed at this hour?’’

 

The question caught you both off guard - It had slipped out. You slapped your forehead, wondering why you thought that was a good thing to ask, first thing after your awkward, _ and sexual _ , encounter.

 

‘’I got a headache at work so my assistant insisted I went home to rest’’

 

You tried telling yourself that you hadn’t missed his voice, but then again, you had always been terrible at lying. You truly regretted kicking him out of your house like that, but just as you were about to voice that feeling, you were cut off by Jumin speaking again.

 

‘’We need to talk, can you come to my place?’’

 

‘ _ Straight to the point I guess’ _

 

You fumbled with the hem of your shirt, suddenly remembering your reason for calling in the first place.

 

‘’Actually, I also had something to talk with you about, so, uhm… yeah I’ll be there soon’’

 

You swore you heard a pained groan coming from his end, but you chose to ignore it.

 

‘’Great, see you’’

 

Just as you were about to respond, three beeps rang in your ear, indicating that he had hung up. You looked at the screen and scoffed and his rudeness, ultimately shaking it off - simply feeling relieved that you were going to see him again.

 

 

_________________________

 

 

It felt strange yet comforting to step foot in Jumin’s apartment again. It was almost like time stood still in his place, everything always staying in the exact same place - neatly organized and cleaned. Jumin himself was nowhere to be seen, but as soon as your footsteps echoed through the space, a voice could be heard coming from down the hall.

 

‘’In here’’

 

Warily you stuck your head into his bedroom, only to find him sitting on his bed, buttoning up a navy blue dress shirt. You caught a quick glimpse of his chest, which made you swallow a lump in your throat.  _ Jesus fucking christ.  _  He looked up at you through his hair, his eyes failing at hiding the pain from the headache that was undoubtedly still haunting him. His mere presence had such an effect on you that your voice came out as a choked whisper.

 

‘’You didn’t have to dress up just for me’’

 

Jumin hummed in disagreement and lightly shook his head before standing up and walking towards you. His way of acting felt like the first time you met - hungry and provocative.  _ Had he forgotten that you had kicked him out of your apartment after rejecting him? People don’t just forget stuff like that - right? _

 

‘’It would have been awfully rude of me to greet you in my underwear, especially considering the matter i wished to discuss with you’’

 

Jumin gestured you back into the hall and further into the living space. You both sat down on the couch - Jumin scooting closer and you doing the opposite.  A few moments of awkward silence passed by until you finally gathered enough courage to speak up.

 

‘’So what was it you wanted to talk about?’’

 

For a split second his face lit up and a smile formed on his face, which made you question if he was actually going to confront you about your last meeting, as you had thought he would. His expression left as soon as it had formed and instead he was now studying you intently. 

 

‘’I think you should go first’’

 

Without a word you nodded and started to fumble around in your back pocket to pull out that very same paper, that had had you burning with rage just a little while back. You expression was frozen in a determined demeanor, rage filling up in your eyes yet again. You smacked the paper so hard onto the table you could feel your hand sting. Both you and Jumin jumped slightly at your action.

 

‘’You’re a businessman right? Then you should have no problem understanding why this paper is a MASSIVE problem to me’’

 

Despite your hostile stance he seemed to remain calm and collected, simply picking up your document and reading it through silently. When he finished reading he hummed in acknowledgment and looked up at you. You expected to see disgust, anger, disappointment - or at the very least pity - in his eyes. All the emotions you too felt. But instead his eyes lit up like before, this time a full smile grew on his face. You sent him a puzzled look and got ready to scold him for thinking something so serious was a joke, but then he leaned close to you and put his hand on your thigh, squeezing a little as he laughed.

 

‘’That isn’t a problem anymore’’

 

It took you a full five seconds to process what had just happened, but it only took you about one second to land a loud and hard hitting smack on Jumin’s cheek. You jumped up from the couch, ripping the paper out of his hands and throwing it back in his face - raising your voice for every word you spoke.

 

‘’So you’re telling me that the fact that my parents, the ones I tried to separate myself from, bought two thirds of the firm I work for just before I was hired isn't a problem?! That they told me that it was fine that I refused to work in their company, only to trick me into working under them anyway?! Huh?!’’

 

It became clear that Jumin was slowly losing his patience as he began rubbing his temples and shifting in his seat. You probably should’ve just left, figured it out yourself and told him goodbye for the last time, but for some reason you found it more appealing to stay and yell some more.  _ All that frustration had to get out one way or another anyway.  _

 

‘’Y/N just let me explain-’’

 

Jumin went to grab your wrist but you jerked it away and stepped in front of him, for once being the one to look down. It made you feel strangely powerful, even if you knew the tables could be turned quickly again if he simply stood up. He didn’t though, he just looked up at you - a glimmer of something dark in his eyes. 

 

‘’You wouldn’t understand would you? You’re proud to be the heir to your dad's company, but unlike you I don’t fit in the business world! Shit, i’ve never even been good at math...or talking politely,-’’

 

Suddenly it turned into less of a rant and more of an introspective speech as your voice dropped to it’s normal volume, and you stripped yourself of your power stance.  Still hovering above Jumin you moved your gaze to the floor below you - his feet being placed right besides yours. You didn’t even realize how close you two were standing until Jumin suddenly moved his head to rest carefully on your hip. 

 

‘’- When I, the only child, told my parents I didn’t want to take over their company I could see the disappointment in their eyes. It made me feel so bad I almost considered giving in, living a whole life doing something I hated-’’

 

Instinctively you started running your fingers through Jumin’s hair, which made him hum, sending a slight vibration through your hip. 

 

‘’-I know I disappointed them, but that gives them no right to trick me into working under them… I feel so stupid, I should’ve known I couldn’t just get hired in a company like DGC that easily - obviously something was up’’

 

‘’You’re not a diamond girl anymore - you don’t have to think about your parents’’ Jumin’s words were muffled by your clothes, yet his words were still enough to pull you out of your speech. Your fingers stilled in his hair as you locked your eyes with his.

 

‘’Huh?’’

 

Suddenly Jumin placed his hands on your hips and pulled you down to sit in his lap. A small squeak escaped your throat at the sudden movement, but you didn’t resist. A smirk grew on Jumin’s face as he pulled you closer to him.

 

‘’I've… thought a lot about you lately, I dare to admit that, and I found that the thought of you being surrounded by clients with less noble intentions disgusted me,-’’

 

Your eyes widened at his confession;  _ this was far from what you had imagined he’d say.  _ You felt your heart flutter in your chest,  _  fuck was this really happening? _

 

‘’-So I looked into it, made some deals and moved some money around, so that now you no longer belong to the part of DGC your parents own - you belong to the part  _ I  _ own’’

 

Your entire body stilled in his grip and you felt the blood in your veins freeze into ice. Jumin seemed to notice and carefully nudged your side, waiting for a response. When you felt his hand in your side, ice turned to fire -  _ I’ll give you a fucking response. _

 

In one quick motion you freed yourself of his grasp and started picking up your purse and jacket in panic. Thousands of thoughts and feeling raced frantically through you as you thought of what to tell him. Just as you reached for your purse he grabbed your wrist.

 

‘’Where are you going? I thought you’d want to stay and celebrate’’

 

You clenched your fist and turned to look at him; rage apparent in your eyes.

 

‘’Celebrate? Why would I fucking celebrate that a spoiled, narcissistic  _ asshole  _ feels good because he has  _ purchased  _ a  _ person _ ?’’ speaking through gritted teeth made your tone seem even more furious than when you yelled. Jumin didn’t seems to understand though, so you continued talking.

 

‘’Please explain, Jumin, why you thought it was a good idea to practically  _ buy me _ just because you have a little crush on my work persona?’’

 

Jumin tightened his grip on your wrist, making it almost painful. You tried wriggling free but he obviously didn’t plan to let you go anytime soon. Your comment had clearly struck a nerve, seeing as his gaze was almost as fiery as yours by now. Without letting go, Jumin stood up and walked closer to you. Despite being furious, having him stand like that in front of you made you sink a little into the ground. 

 

‘’I did not  _ buy  _ you. On the contrary you’re more free now than before, you get to choose your clients instead of just accepting everyone’’

 

‘’But that doesn’t matter does it? you only want me to choose you obviously - your own personal slave, is that what you had in mind? Huh?’’

 

Jumin pulled on your wrist, forcing your bodies closer together as he rested his forehead against yours.

 

‘’I’m not forcing you to like me back Y/N, and I’m not forcing you to be with me, why do you think I wish to keep you on a chain?’’

 

‘’Let me go then’’

 

‘’Hmm?’’

 

‘’You said you weren't forcing me to be with you, so let me  _ go, _ you pompous piece of shit!’’

 

Your faces were close enough so that you could hear the growl that came from the back of his throat. Still, he didn’t let you go, so you started shaking your arm to force him to free you. He now grabbed your other wrist in an attempt to control you, which only made you struggle harder against him. 

 

‘’Y/N calm down, and please don’t yell, my head is still killing me’’

 

Instantly you filled your lungs with as much air as they allowed, before releasing a glass shattering scream directly in his ear. He groaned loudly in response and let go of you in favor of rubbing his temples. You started heading for the door, but as you grabbed the handle you heard Jumin walking towards you again, so you instinctively grabbed the vase placed on the table next to you. You raised it up in front of you, getting ready to throw if necessary. Jumin stilled and raised his hands in defeat.

 

‘’I’m letting you leave, just...promise me we’ll talk this over later’’

 

You both stood in silence for a what seemed like an eternity, before you offered him a sly smirk and threw the vase at full force right past him into a wall. The loud crash made you both flinch, but you quickly straightened your back and opened the door, leaving with one last comment.

 

‘’Eat shit’’

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kinda shit, I hope you enjoyed it anyway <3  
> In other news, shameless self promotion, I made some v nice stuff on my tumblr, please check it out <3  
> @wonderfully-unamused


	6. Blind Hatred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby pays Jumin a visit at work and shit may or may not hit the fan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all my two readers! It is I - the piece of shit that never updates! Take this chapter as a peace offering <333

‘’You told him to do what?’’ The small assistant in front of you exclaimed; her wide eyes filled with disbelief. The two of you were seated in a small and cozy café not far away from work, as you had agreed to meet with her during her short break. You had expected that someone required an explanation as to why the company’s phone was blowing up, due to Jumin’s ten calls per day, yet you hadn’t prepared a proper answer. The few times Carly actually had time to pick up, he’d ramble about your last encounter ending badly and how he needed to see you. Now, you were pouring sugar in your coffee and making a poor attempt at explaining her just why you  _ definitely  _ couldn’t see him again.  

 

‘’To eat shit’’ you casually answered as if it was a matter of fact, before taking another sip of your drink. Carly’s jaw was practically down on the floor at this point, but you honestly couldn’t tell if it was because you had uttered the word ‘shit’ in her innocent presence, or because you had dared telling him that.

 

‘’Yes, I heard you the first time,’’ she muttered, ‘’what I want to know is  _ why _ ?’’ She hadn’t  touched her tea at all since you sat down to talk. Most likely because she feared you had done something that would put her job on the line, because you had that fear yourself. You knew that your own stupid actions had an effect on others, but you were determined to take whatever punishment the universe would grant you all on your own this time. You were done dragging people down with you. 

 

‘’Well, he was being a stalkerish asshole and I wasn’t having it,’’ you slammed your cup down on the table so hard it caused the other to jump in her seat, ‘’so the next time he calls, would you be so kind as to tell him to stick his phone up his ass and leave us alone.’’ Feeling your growing anger, Carly slowly leaned across the table to carefully place a hand on top of yours. You took a deep breath and relaxed in your seat; her calming aura leaving its print on you.

 

‘’Y/N, I’m going to tell you this as a friend, not a co-worker,’’ you nodded in response, ‘’he’s obviously madly in love with you, he wouldn’t call so much otherwise, and from what I can tell you like him too, in your own strange way. Maybe try to act less hostile, listen to what he has to say, and see where it goes from there.’’ Her words took you by surprise and left you speechless. 

 

You knew it was odd, but you really did like him in,  _ yes,  _ you own strange way. The problem was the feeling deep in your gut that something wasn’t right; the feeling that the two of you were a dangerous combination.  _ The type to destroy each other.  _ Your hostile stance towards him was caused by you being tired of being used and manipulated; a defense mechanism created by your past, designed to keep people away. You had hoped he’d take the hint and leave you alone so you wouldn’t have to deal with your feeling towards him, but the bastard just  _ had  _ to fight for you, didn’t he. 

 

Carly removed her hand from yours which caused you to finally drift out of your thoughts. Your coffee had turned lukewarm as you silently stirred it with a spoon. ‘’Whether or not I like him has nothing to do with the fact that he’s harassing us’’ you stated. You finished your drink in one last,  _ disgusting,  _ gulp and followed Carly with your gaze as she got up from the table. She put on her jacket before stepping besides you, gently resting a hand on your shoulder. ‘’You have to talk to him’’ she whispered with worry in her voice, and gave your shoulder a squeeze before leaving the café to return to work.  You liked Carly, you really did, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.  _ Talking to him would have to be over your dead body.  _

 

____________________

 

You had spent the morning after your meeting sulking in bed with no intention of getting up. The conversation you two had had kept running through your head and it made you wish you could drown them out or distract yourself. Distraction soon came in the form of a text, but instead of making you relieved it filled you with disgust:

 

Carly 13:22

‘Please Y/N, you’re going to get fired if you keep refusing to talk with him. He’s still calling multiple times per day and I don’t know what to tell him. Please, if not for him then do it for me, I don’t want to be involved in this.’

 

Your hands tightened around the phone, turning your knuckles white, and gritted your teeth together so hard it made your jaw hurt. You knew you had to do something but you didn’t know what; quit your job? sue him? change your name and move? Although you wished those would be an option, you knew they wouldn’t work - you had to go straight to the source. Talking to him seemed to be the last option standing, you owed him that much.  _ You owed Carly that much.  _ You quickly decided it would be best to talk in a public, as you feared that seeing him in his apartment would lead to more broken vases.  _ Or bones _ . 

 

Reluctantly, you got out of bed and put on a simple black dress and your combat boots, your hair falling gracefully over your shoulders. You wanted nothing more than to just ignore the problem like you always did, but this wasn’t just about you, and it had to reach an end. This had to get solved one way or the other.

 

___________________

 

You walked up to the large doors of the even bigger building in front of you. In the years living with your parents and hearing about their business, you quickly learned that the bigger the building, the bigger an asshole the people inside it were. According to that logic, the people working at C&R International must have been  _ major  _ douche-bags. Two large doormen dressed in black suits stood on either side of the entrance - ready to prevent the wrong kind of people from walking in. Apparently you weren't the wrong kind in their eyes, seeing as they simply let you walk in. If only they knew you were about to yell at their boss’ son, maybe then they’d have stopped you. 

 

The lobby reminded you a lot of the one at DGC, only larger, much fancier and filled with less hustle. The white marble floors lit up the room in an almost ethereal way and made it seem all the more professional. Three women sat behind a large desk, busily typing on their computer while talking in their headset. They looked almost robotic to you with their blank expression and perfectly timed movements; signs that all indicated that they had been doing their job for way too long. There was two elevator on either side of the room, and by most of them stood businessmen with a briefcase in their hand and a stern look planted on their face. There was a few more people scattered around the room, but they barely registered you, nor did you register them; you only had one person on your mind. 

 

You walked up to the front desk and tapped your nails on it while impatiently waiting for one of the receptionists to hang up on whatever ‘important person’ they were talking to. After a few minutes of nothing you started to wonder if you had turned invisible, so you coughed rather loudly, causing one of the women to look up with a forced smile. ‘’Can I help you?’’ she asked with a tone as dry as her appearance. The look she sent you made it seem like she thought you were a tourist looking for directions, and it made you suddenly regret not dressing up as Ruby for the occasion.  

 

‘’I’m looking for Jumin Han’’ you answered, getting increasingly uneasy. The receptionist let out a small scoff as if she found you answer ridiculous. ‘’I assumed that much, but what is your business with him?’’

 

‘’I’m here to talk with him, it’s important’’

 

She scoffed again, this time more obviously, but she quickly regained her professionalism when she saw the growing agitation on your face. ‘’Do you have a scheduled meeting with him?’’ she croaked. ‘’No’’ you were growing impatient and shifted your weight back and forth between your legs, wanting to end this conversation as soon as possible. 

 

‘’I'm afraid Mr. Han is busy at the moment, but let me take your name and I'll leave a message'' she said with another obnoxiously fake smile. With what little business knowledge you had, you knew that what she had just told you was basically just '' _ get lost _ '' simply in a very professional way. You decided that using the receptionist as a middleman was a waste of time, so with a smirk you leaned across the desk so you were face to face. 

 

‘’Busy you say? Well, why don't you leave a message  _ right now _ and tell him that Y/N is down here waiting for him’’ you snarled. She finally pressed a button on her headset and waited for someone to pick up, never letting go of your gaze; like two lionesses fighting for dominance. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of annoyance and fright, no feeling winning over the other. ‘’Can I get a hold of Mr. Han please?’’ she inquired as someone finally picked up. She waited a bit longer in silence and then suddenly her expression changed to the same seriousness it had when you first walked in. 

 

‘’Mr. Han, I’m terribly sorry to intrude during your busy schedule but there’s a woman down here that’s insisting on seeing you. Yes I kno- I’m sor- I’ll ask,’’ she nodded as if he could actually see her and turned to you, ‘’name?’’ 

 

‘’Y/N’’ you answered. 

 

‘’She says her name is Y/N’’ 

 

Jumin must not have said much after that before hanging up, but his answer shocked the receptionist anyhow; her eyes widening as she waved over a worker standing nearby. ‘’Could you please escort this woman up to Mr. Han’s office,’’ she sent you glare filled with discontent, ‘’and don’t hesitate to interrupt him - she’s a priority.’’

 

The man simply nodded and silently started walking towards the elevator, expecting you to follow him.  A little confused by what had just happened you followed anyway, just happy to finally to get away from that snobby woman. The ride up to Jumin's office seemed endless and terribly quiet and when you reached the fifteenth floor you were growing bored. 

 

‘’So, what floor are we going to?’’ 

 

‘’52’’

 

‘’And how many are there in this building?’’

 

There was a slight pause before he answered, ‘’52.’’

 

Your eyes widened in response, but you couldn't exactly say you were shocked. Of course he had the top floor; his urge to show off his superiority was too strong for him to ignore. Although you were slightly disgusted you couldn't help but also be a little amazed at the life he had managed to create for himself. Or on further thought, the life his father had created. 

 

You remembered your first time in his apartment where you stumbled across a painting of Jumin, his father, and what you assumed to be his mother, but now you were starting to doubt the nature of his family. You had a feeling that it wasn’t what it looked like and that they had more than a few skeletons in the closet. Who were they really and who was  _ he? _

 

You finally reached the top floor and the worker held out his hand, signaling you to step out.

 

‘’Find Jaehee Kang, she’ll escort you the rest of the way’’ he stated dryly.

 

You gave him a small nod before the doors closed and he was on his way down again, leaving you alone. ‘Jaehee Kang,’ that name sounded familiar to you. You took a few steps down the hall and rounded a corner, instantly being met with the hectic sight of people at work. Through the sea of people you managed to spot the familiar brown hair of the woman that was presumably Jumin's assistant, but unfortunately she disappeared as soon as she had appeared. Calling out her name would attract too much unwanted attention, so you decided to pursue her instead. You pushed past several suited people while your eyes scanned the place. Suddenly someone grabbed your wrist and pulled you into an empty conference room in the blink of an eye. You were getting ready to slap whoever had kidnapped you, but it turned out that she had merely found you before you had found her. 

 

‘’I didn’t expect to see you here, Ruby’’ Jaehee stated with no apparent emotion behind it. You flinched at the use of your fake name, not wanting to be affiliated with it any longer. ''I'm here to talk to Jumin, but it turns out getting to him is about as hard as getting a meeting with the pope'’ you mused. No hint of amusement was spotted on her face though, and her eyes remained calm behind the glasses. ''Well, he's a busy and important man and you're, sorry to say it, simply a public servant,’’ she pushed her glasses further up her nose, ‘’in the eyes of the business of course.’’

 

If you didn't know that she was right, you'd have slapped her then and there and stormed out the building never to return. Enough people had pissed on your leg that day, and you were tired of being reminded of how ‘important’ that man was when in reality he was a bag of shit hiding behind a pile of money. You almost felt as if it was your duty to show people the true face of Jumin Han.

 

''Will you  _ please  _ just take me to him, it's important.'' Your patience was wearing thin, and it had already been an hour since you arrived, which was two hours too much in your opinion. Jaehee merely nodded and started escorting you through the building, luckily it seemed like the other workers moved out of your way for once. ‘’May I ask why you have been avoiding Mr. Han?’’ she asked, ‘’no’’ you answered firmly. Jaehee didn’t question you any further but instead let out a deep sigh and walked in silence the rest of the way. 

 

After rounding a few corners you reached a large, wooden door that had the initials JH carved onto the front; you had finally reached the belly of the beast. Jaehee knocked twice on the dark wood and a muffled voice could be heard on the other side, granting you entrance. Just as you put your hand on the handle, Jaehee leaned in and whispered in your ear, ‘’play nice, remember to be professional, no matter the grudges you have.’’

 

Suddenly an idea popped into your head which caused a devilish grin to grow on your face; why not show the respectful workers what their boss has been spending company money on. ‘’Why don't we just leave the doors open so you can keep an eye on us, and make sure we don’t kill each other?'' you suggested with a playful smirk. Jaehee looked as if she could see the hidden motives behind your words, but gave you a small nod and stepped aside regardless. 

 

As soon as you opened the doors you were met with familiar scent of books, sandalwood, and business - much like Jumin’s home office. The walls were lined with tall bookshelves and on top of wooden floor laid a dark red carpet; The room completely stood out from the rest of the bright and modern building. At the far end of the room was a large desk and behind it sat the man you had been searching for. He lifted his head from the papers he was reading and his demeanor instantly changed from professional and cold to the Jumin he only allowed himself to be around you. He glanced questioningly at the open door but quickly moved his gaze in favor of looking at you, walking towards him with agitated steps.

 

With every floor you had climbed on the elevator, you had lost more and more reason, substituting it with pure anger. Had you stopped to think about it, you'd probably have realized that perhaps your anger was just a shield to protect you from your real feelings and the undeniable fact that you really liked him. The line between love and hate is blurry to some, but to you it was practically invisible. 

 

‘’Y/N,’’ he whispered with a voice filled with desperation, ‘’I’m so glad to see you, I got worried when you weren’t answering my calls.’’ 

 

''It's hard to think when your phone is blowing up 24/7,  _ Jumin _ '' you answered through gritted teeth. He got up from his chair and stepped closer to you, reaching out a hand to caress your cheek but you quickly moved your face away from his touch. Meanwhile, a few people had gathered by the door, wondering who the woman important enough to get an urgent meeting was. Jumin paid them no mind; all of his attention was on you. He stepped closer and gently grabbed your wrist, this time you let him. ‘’I’m not here to apologize for not answering your calls, or breaking your vase, nor am I going to apologize for the way I acted’’ you hissed as you captured his gaze. His eyes widened at both your comment and the fire in your eyes, and he subconsciously tightened the grip on your wrist as if he feared you’d leave him again; not an unfair assumption. 

 

‘’I’m not asking you to apologize, I simply want you to give me a chance to explain so you can see reason’’ he begged, lowering his voice in fear of the people outside hearing him. ‘’See reason?’’ you scoffed in response, ‘’how can I see reason when there’s no reason to see?’’ A part of you desperately wanted to wake up from your continuous state of hate, but sadly the part of you that wanted to teach him a lesson had taken over. You had no intention of leaving his office as friends or lovers, you wanted this to be your last meeting so you could bury your feelings for him and move on with your life; perhaps in a town far away. 

 

‘’Y/N you’re not seeing things clearly, I honestly don’t understand why you’re so mad at me’’ he wailed in desperation. You could tell he was sincere which made your heart flutter in a way that made you want to cry and just give in, but instead you wiggled your arm out of his grip and took a step back. Feelings are a mystery no one can solve, neither could you solve the mystery of your hatred, but you weren’t about to tell him that.

 

‘’Why I’m mad at you? You really can’t see why? Well, let me enlighten you then,’’ you growled and stepped closer to him, your noses almost touching due to the close proximity of your faces, ‘’first of all, your stuck up personality makes it hard for anyone to love you yet alone get close to you. You’re insanely jealous and since you can’t fix that with money you turn to aggression - need I remind you of the time you nearly hit me because you couldn’t stand the thought of me helping Saeran.’’ You could tell he was becoming enraged and irritated by your words, but you merely saw that as motivation to keep going. You moved your face away from his, put both your hands on his chest and then pushed him hard enough for him to step out of place. ‘’You pay your way out of loneliness,’’ the next push sent him a step backwards, ‘’you pay your way out of sex,’’ another step backwards, ‘’and I’d report you for harassment if I didn’t know you could pay your way out of that aswell.’’ Your last push sent him crashing into his desk and his head hung low, his expression hidden behind his dark hair. 

 

A large crowd had gathered at the door by now as the situation grew more intense. Both Jaehee and a guard was about to storm in and drag you out,  but then an ominous laugh came from Jumin and he lifted his head to look at you. ‘’It’s okay, I deserved it. Please leave me and her to talk’’ he smirked. They hesitantly followed his orders and left, Jaehee being the only one to remain by the door. You had had enough and was ready to turn around and walk out, but then Jumin said something that instantly made your blood boil and your hands turn into fists. 

 

‘’What’s keeping you from admitting you like me? Is it that prick Saeran?’’ he asked with a playful and demeaning tone. You wanted to slap him so hard it left a print of your hand,  _ how dared he use him against you,  _ but you remembered that words could cut deeper than violence, so with your back to him you smirked and threw in one last blow. 

 

‘’And what’s keeping you from opening up? Is it your fucked up family? That woman in the painting at your home isn’t even your mom, is it. How many gold diggers have entered and left your life, causing you to have this screwed up view of the world, thinking you can buy love?’’ you could feel his gaze cutting into your back like daggers, ‘’I guess we’re both fucked up because of our past then, the only difference is that I’m over it, but you’ll keep up making the same mistake,’’ passing through the door you looked over your shoulder and flashed him a sarcastic grin, ‘’See you never Jumin.’’

 

And with that you left, leaving a furious Jumin behind with a bleeding heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo, follow me and tell me what you thought of this chapter ~  
> Tumblr: wonderfully-unamused (personal) lucky-artificial-monster (where I take prompts)


	7. UPDATE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me explaining some stuff to all my 0 readers <3

Are people still reading this? No? Well anyway-  
You may have noticed that this story has been on standby for the longest time, sorry about that, but it turned out that school + other stuff took more of my time and energy than expected. This story was my first real one and therefore has a special place in my heart, so I shall not abandon it! It has been a whole year since I began writing this; it's unbelievable! That also means that I can see a huge difference from chapter one to the newest one, which brings me to what I have planned:  
When summer arrives, I plan to first replay Mystic Messenger, because I honestly cannot remember anything, ahaha. Then I plan to rewrite, yes you read that correctly, REWRITE, all previous chapters to make them better written, longer and add some plot. Then, when I have rewritten it all, I'll continue and finish it <3  
Even if people don't read this anymore, I feel like this story deserves a proper ending <3


	8. UPDATE PT. 2 (NEED YOUR OPINIONS)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story is finally back in the works but I need you guys' help!

So, I have finally started replaying mysmes and feel somewhat ready to tackle the challenge of rewriting this! But I'm sorta conflicted as to how to repost it;  
\- should I fully delete the story along with all the kudos, comments and hits and then start over with the rewritten chapters?  
\- Should I post the rewritten chapters like a new fic but leave the old version still up?  
\- Can I somehow just update these chapters but then the comments and stuff might be a little out of order?

I hope some of that made sense ahaha, please help a confused writer out; what would be the nicest for you guys? Also if you have any wishes as to what should happen in future chapters, please leave a comment either here or at my tumblr @chogiwakeupsheeple and who knows? I might include your ideas <3 

I'm back lovelies! - this time I hopefully won't disappear for months again, whoops ^^''


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